‘Blue Monday’ or not, we’re coping with stressful times—and we might need help

Blue Monday is thought by some to be the most depressing day of the year, but experts say there are ways to deal with the stresses the time of year brings.

The third Monday of January is dubbed “Blue Monday.”

It’s considered the most depressing day of the year by some because of post-holiday financial stress, short days and typically bad winter weather.

While Blue Monday is disputed, those factors really can add up.

“The stats don’t necessarily back up Blue Monday, but we don’t want to undermine anybody from reaching out if they’re feeling more isolated, more alone (or are having) more struggles with their mental well-being at this time of year,” said David Gabert, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Alberta south region communication lead.

Lethbridge sees a fairly consistent number of people reaching out throughout the year, said Gabert.

Gabert encourages anyone struggling to look for help no matter the time of year.

“No matter where we’re at in our mental-health journey, we all have those different pressure points we need to take care of throughout everything, and having those conversations about it, taking that dedicated time to process what it is that we’re feeling and what it is that we’re going through,” said Gabert.

Financial worries will be top of mind for many people at this time of year.

Many people will be looking at ways to cut back on spending following Christmas shopping.

One of the best ways to do that is developing a budget and sticking to it.

“A big thing is actually sitting down and budgeting, coming up with a financial plan for you and your family, you and your spouse, and being able to really recognize, ‘OK, here’s what our debt situation is post-holidays—what are we going to do?’” said Chris Hotton, Lethbridge Polytechnic business instructor.

The most important part of budgeting is figuring out what expenses you can scale back or cut out entirely.

That can help you build up some extra money to pay down debt.

“We obviously can’t stop spending, right? A budget can’t realistically have zero in the expenses column, and so that’s why budgeting and really managing your money are important,” said Hotton.

For mental-health support, you can reach the CMHA in Lethbridge at 403-329-4775.