What a slog January is.
It's cold and gloomy.
It feels like one long post-Christmas, post-New-Year's-Eve hangover.
Bills from the festive season are due, pushing you further into debt.
Your new year resolutions conveniently failed two weeks ago.
Work's a drag.
Your vacation in the sun is either a no-go or not for weeks and weeks.
And all motivation and joy have flown out the window.
It all culminates on the third Monday of January, which, unhappily, is today -- January 15.
It actually has a name -- Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.
However, it's only been so called since January 2004 when Welsh psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall declared it so to help a travel company sell holidays to people who were sick and tired of the dreary UK winter.
In other words, it's unscientific or pseudoscience, but catchy because we all seem to jump on the Blue Monday bandwagon.
"It's not necessarily a day," said Natalie Macdonald, a registered therapeutic counsellor in Penticton.
"It's more of a January thing. We've come off the holidays, January doesn't have a lot to offer, it's dark and cold and long. Plus, there's the money stress that comes after the holidays and your resolutions have probably gone off the rails."
But rather than just pile on the bleakness, as a registered therapeutic counsellor, Macdonald has handy tips for getting through this funk.
"You can have a breakthrough and start living your best life any month of the year," she said.
"I encourage everyone to find their joy, to have things to look forward to, so they don't fall into depression."
Macdonald's joy is helping people, obviously, but also getting all the appropriate gear to regularly cycle outside this winter.
"It's my thing," she said with a laugh.
"Your thing could be as simple as finding time for a quiet cup of tea or coffee, baking or spending more time with your kids. Definitely don't give up your hobbies or pick up a new hobby."
Even cleaning your house or fixing something, which initially sound like chores, may bring you joy because you'll have a feeling of accomplishment.
Macdonald is also big on taking care of herself and urging others to do the same.
"Eating right, sleeping well and physical activity are the base of self-care," she said.
"It will help you feel better physically and emotionally and manage stress better."
The counsellor is also a huge advocate of having gratitude for what you have, forgiving yourself for what you haven't accomplished yet or can't do and setting healthy work-life boundaries.
She also urges people to only use social media positively, otherwise it's a downer.
Overall, Macdonald is a champion of setting intentions that only bring more positivity, not negativity, into your life.
"Rather than make a resolution to lose 20 pounds, set an intention to learn how to love your body and learn how to eat better and get more exercise," she explained.
"That way you're doing something positive in your life rather than feeling depressed if a resolution doesn't completely work out."
Feeling blue at this point in January doesn't necessarily mean you're depressed.
It's probably just a seasonal low that will pass and will pass faster if you find your joy as Macdonald suggested.
"But, thus said, seasonal affective disorder is real and is a type of depression, a chemical in the brain, triggered by lack of daylight," said Macdonald.
"If people feel like they'd benefit from talking to a counsellor, they should reach out to a counsellor."
We'll leave you with this.
Blue Monday has spurred a knock-off movement called Brew Monday, which urges you to calm down and relax over a mug of coffee, tea or beer.
