I heard on the news that today is “Blue Monday”, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. A combination of post-holiday reality (back to work and school, less daylight, gray skies, cold weather) all contribute to feelings of sadness.

Despite all that, I tend to look at the new year hopefully. Bad weather will pass, the days start getting longer after December 22nd and just because the holidays are over, it doesn’t mean that you can’t spend time with people who make you happy.

A good friend called me today and mentioned that he was feeling especially low. I told him about Blue Monday and he felt better. The fact that Blue Monday is a real thing may help depersonalize the sadness. Either way, I was glad that he felt more optimistic after we’d spoken. I told him that whenever I feel low, a good run all but guarantees a change of mindset. I’ll bet if more people ran, Blue Monday would be far less blue.