Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Tonya Papanikolas reporting Are you feeling especially sad today? Well -- if you are you're not the only one.
A British psychologist plugged a bunch of factors into a formula, and came up with January 22 as the most depressing day of 2007.
It's the post-holiday let-down, combined with lingering cold temperatures - bad air quality - the Christmas credit card payments due - not to mention the broken New Year's resolutions.
Jess Gomez/LDS Hospital Spokesman: "It makes sense after the holidays, and the excitement and the buzz. The bills start coming in, and the haze and murky days ... that January would be a month that we would experience significant depression."
We have had a cold spell and the haze has settled into the valley -- but some people are finding ways to keep themselves happy despite it being Blue Monday.
"There's still lots of fun things to enjoy in the snow. We go sledding with my kids or make a snowman or just hanging with friends enjoy a nice movie or something inside."
Beating the Blues
- exercise
- get sunlight
- volunteer
- get rest
- eat healthy
People feeling the winter blues can follow these tips to stay healthy and happy during the gloomy months. Make sure to get exercise on a daily basis. With the bad air quality we've been having -- exercise indoors. Get as much light as possible even if that means going up the canyons for a day to get away from the haze. Volunteer at a local service center or help out in your community. Get a good rest every night and eat healthy. Make sure to have a variety of food in your diet.
I guess we can be happier now that Blue Monday is almost over. The days should be looking a bit more cheerful the rest of the year.
