When booking a patient in for an appointment on 15 January 2018, she looked up from her diary and said “Oh, that’s Blue Monday”. I looked blank, so she said something about that being, officially, the day on which we are most miserable … and then the conversation moved on to something a little more cheery.
But I was interested enough to look Blue Monday up on the internet and found that someone somewhere has calculated the third Monday of January is THE day when our collective, and individual, mood hits rock bottom due to a combination of post-festive-season blues, credit card bills arriving and low self-esteem from weight gain (see my previous blog post).
Oh, and also the low light levels, the continuing long dark nights, and the cold.
Well, let’s take a look at that. Firstly, I’m always wary of any grand statements about everyone feeling something because we are individuals, not clones. For every person who despairs about the cold and dark, there is another one who loves wearing lots of layers and snuggling up in front of a fire. Really, there are people like that. Everywhere. I’m one of them. You won’t find me flying off to catch some winter sun. I’m off to Norway soon. Even less light there, and definitely less heat.
And indeed it IS still chilly and dark, but surely you’ve noticed that the mornings and evenings are getting lighter quite rapidly now? And even though the gloom of a grey cloudy day makes it hard to lift one’s spirits, the sheer joy of a sunny frosty morning makes the memory of the day before’s greyness disappear in a twinkle.
Snowdrops are flowering in our garden, and the daffodil spikes are six inches tall. There are swelling buds on our blackcurrant bushes. When I take the dog out for a walk in the wood, the birds occasionally sound like they do in the early summer.
So let’s not feed the gloom – there’s more than enough of it in the news every day. Let’s be grateful for the blessing of central heating, wrap up warm and get out for a walk, and lift our moods ready for the energy rush of springtime which is just a few weeks away.
And if you really are struggling, there honestly is nothing better than an acupuncture winter tonic treatment – my diary in early February is always full of people booked in for their seasonal top-up, for that point when we really have had enough of wintry woes!
Why not get in touch with me now, and make the most of every day? rosanna@tree-of-life-therapy 07970 295177
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