Busting the blues
On Jan. 24th, 2005, a press release shook the United Kingdom. Responsible for this tremor, an equation proving that the third Monday in January was the most depressing day of the year. According to Dr Cliff Arnall’s calculations, misery peaks that day. He called this doomed day Blue Monday. This seasonal affective disorder (SAD) specialist claimed the culprits for this abysmal despair, hitting not only his Gracious Majesty’s subject but the whole of the Northern Hemisphere, were multiple. First of all, Mondays are notoriously difficult, if you add awful weather, depressed finances, the aftermath of the festive over-indulgence, New Year’s resolutions already broken and a serious lack of motivation, you have a recipe for depression.
Except that Blue Monday was nothing but a PR stunt by Sky Travel to get people to book a holiday in the sun.
This third Monday is not worse than any other January Mondays, nor indeed, any other dark winter days. The reason for this gloom is, according to scientists, a cruel lack of daylight. The cold and other reasons mentioned by Cliff Arnall can also have a negative impact. To bust the winter blues, specialists prescribe daylight-exposure and some all-round classics: Eat healthy and exercise, cuddle and kiss and eat dark chocolate – three fabulous mood enhancers – and get enough sleep.
True SAD, also known as winter depression, is different from other types of depression and should be dealt with by a physician.
To beat a light case of hiemal blues and see life through rose-tinted spectacles, try this Happy Smoothie:Carefully wash and peel a stunningly beautiful organic banana. Trim off the stems on both ends. Take your prettiest saucepan and drop the banana peel in it. Add 2 cups cold water, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 10 minutes.
In the meantime, slice your banana and put in your favourite blender. Add 1 cup of frozen red berries (because it’s winter), 1 lemon juice and 1 orange juice, both freshly squeezed by your soft hands, and the cooked banana skin. Mix furiously and enjoy this delightful and colourful drink, bursting with vitamins, dopamine and tryptophan, the precursor for serotonin that makes us deliriously happy. ¡ E viva banana !
