It can wreak havoc on your mood, the grey sky. Dreary conditions at this time of year have an effect on many people. It’s estimated that for almost five million Canadians, the lack of sunshine in the winter can lead to a mild form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.
“The lack of daylight, the temperatures and the grey, I mean colour revs us up and we are not getting a lot of colour at this time of year,” says Candace Giesbrecht with the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Giesbrecht says low moods are so common at this time of year, it prompted researchers to pinpoint the most depressing day of the year. “What they come up with based on their estimations was that the third day in January was it and it was because of a few factors.”
On top of the weather, Giesbrecht says that by January 19, many people are also getting their Christmas bills and breaking their new year resolutions.
Whatever the reason, for most people, the winter blues are short-lived. For others, they could underline a more serious issue like depression.
“If that low feeling is persisting for two weeks or more and the normal things that would bring you out of a funk are not working then it is probably a good time to step up the plan or to step up some of the things that work for you or even ask for help,” says Giesbrecht.
For more information on how to get help for depression click here.
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