By Chris Brown

Blue Monday

Help available for those struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder

Jan 17, 2022 | 3:53 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It’s not only the typical start of the week blues mental health advocates want to draw attention to on the third Monday in January.

Today is also known as Blue Monday.

“I think unconsciously people can’t put an association to what it is they just feel, you know, they feel down, they feel depressed,” says Mark Walter, recovery trainer with Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Southeast Region.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, two to three per cent of Canadians are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder. Another 15 per cent will feel a milder form of depression.

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Walter says the issue can being in fall and carry on until the spring. The lack of sunlight and shorter and colder days in the winter months is considered the root cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Disrupted routines, worse than usual nutrition and financial pressures from the holiday season are also contributors.

“So certainly regulation and natural physical things as well as your mental health being interconnected get affected by all those different things,” Walter says.

The disorder presents itself in feelings of sadness, loneliness, isolation or just feeling off, says Walter.

“Certainly it doesn’t hurt to maybe say ‘maybe I need to seek out counselling or services that might help me out. Because I just can’t do this on my own,'” he says. “Or maybe you can’t identify that. And so certainly like us with Canadian Mental Health we provide lots of different programs for people that maybe would help them get through this time.”

Walter says there are weekly programs online for between two and eight weeks, and the Keep in Touch Program is telephone based.

Caregiver Connection and Whisper of Wellness are offered in person in small group sessions.

“With Canadian Mental Health our motto as well is that this is mental health for all and so we want people to be seeking out and getting the help they can,” Walter says.

He notes the hardest part for some can be asking for help in the first place. If that’s the case he says to look at sleeping patterns, and get good rest and exercise of some kind.

“When we get our body taking care of itself and healing, then our mood will raise and if we get in that consistency of it your body will be used to it.”

For more on the programs offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association click here.