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Nowhere to go but up after Blue Monday – Metro US

Nowhere to go but up after Blue Monday

Christmas is long gone, I’ve broken all my well-intentioned resolutions and my bank account is looking more tragic than ever. Frigid temperatures and a lack of funds have left me housebound this month and my mood, like the weather, has been icy at best. I am well and truly stuck in the post-holiday depressfest known as January.

It’s not just me, of course. Psychologists (perhaps in collaboration with travel agents and chocolate makers) dubbed yesterday Blue Monday, allegedly the most depressing day of the year.

With this not-so-scientific fact in mind, here are five ways to help you defrost your chilly disposition and get out of your seasonal slump. And just think, if yesterday was the most depressing day of the year it can only get better from now on right?

Hibernate with friends
If you can’t beat the blues you might as well make wallowing a group activity. Play board games and put on bad movies you would feel guilty watching during patio season. Add wine when needed.

Hit the slopes
If there’s one thing Canadians do well it’s inventing dangerous winter sports. So why not strap on some skis and throw yourself down a steep rock face in the name of fun? Or forget the skiing and skip straight to the après activities, preferably anything that involves a roaring fire and a bearskin rug.

Decorate
If below freezing temperatures have you trapped inside your apartment, you might as well make it look good. Yes, you’re broke from a season of overspending, but even small touches can go a long way. Invest in new couch cushions, craft colourful wall art and fill vases with fragrant flowers to remind yourself that spring is just around the corner (kind of).

Find pleasure in someone else’s pain
Go online and look up temperatures in a much colder province. When you consider that it was –39 C in Eureka last night (that’s in Nunavut for those of you who aren’t Canadian geography nerds) the wind chill here doesn’t really seem all that bad.

Throw a Jersey Shore theme party
Get a spray tan, turn up the heat and squeeze into your tightest Ed Hardy tube top. Invite like-minded Guidos and Guidettes over to fist-pump to the beat of your homemade club-anthem playlist. Drink Ron Ron Juice until you forget what season it is and try not to contract an STD by the end of the weekend.