Today is known as “Blue Monday.” It’s dubbed as the saddest day of the year, however, for many people we know the sadness can last all season. Kelley Breidigan, from the college of social work at Ohio State University, said Seasonal affective disorder is also known as SAD.  

What You Need To Know

  • It’s cloudy, gloomy and just plain old yucky outside

  • So it’s no surprise that many people feel down with little energy
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder is also known as SAD

  • There are proven ways to treat and prevent SAD

“Some people notice having a low mood when the days get shorter in the winter and then they might notice that in the spring when the daylight hours sort of increase, they start to notice that mood improve a bit,” Breidigan said. “And so sometimes this is what we refer to as a winter pattern seasonal affective disorder. It's not its own separate type of disorder, but it's actually a type of depression that's characterized by a seasonal pattern.” 

It feels like we’ve been having plenty of “blue mondays” already so you may wonder why Jan. 20 specifically? Breidigan said Blue Monday really hasn't been supported by the research but that it may have to do with a whole bunch of things that are culminating at the same time. 

“So we're back into the swing just after the holidays,” Breidigan said. “A lot of times this is when the cold, snowy weather hits, particularly in Ohio. We have maybe the holiday bills rolling in. We may have failed New Year's resolutions. So there's an awful lot of things that are kind of hitting together at the same time that I think are helping to increase that likelihood of sadness in a depressed mood.”

There are proven ways to treat and prevent SAD though. 

Breidigan said some of the best ways to fight the seasonal blues include:

  • Getting regular sunlight exposure
  • Engaging in physical activity
  • Maintaining a healthy diet
  • Prioritizing social connections
  • Practicing relaxation techniques

“What causes seasonal affective disorder is not completely understood, but there is some belief that there are neurochemicals in the brain that are responsible for helping us regulate mood, that are sort of askew a bit,” Breidigan said. “And so some of the things that you could do, first of all, would be talk to your health care provider. They're going to be able to assess the situation properly, but there are things they can do, like light therapy where they expose people to certain types of bright light every day. And that helps to make up for some of the diminished natural sunlight. They can also, some folks have a vitamin D deficiency, so supplementation could be helpful. Psychotherapy can be helpful so that we can help identify patterns and look for behavior strategies that have been effective in the past. Also things like antidepressant medications. If there's a problem with serotonin, there's a medication that can help with the reuptake of serotonin to help regulate and stay in the body's system longer.”

If feelings of sadness persist and interfere with daily life, Breidigan said should consider seeking support from a mental health professional.