Why Are You More Blue On Monday?

Did you feel more bummed than usual last Monday? This may be the reason: It was “Blue Monday” – and experts say it was the most depressing day of the year. Why?

People are more blue on any Monday.  But if you add in the cold weather, the after-holiday letdown, and credit card bills rolling in then, mix in the disappointment of holiday weight gain, and a lack of exercise – and you’ve got a perfect storm for the blues.

But Blue Monday isn’t the only day of the year that messes with our emotions. Some other bummer days include:

• Valentine’s Day. Sure, everyone in a relationship is getting roses and chocolates.  But a huge survey found that 70 percent of unattached singles stay home on February 14th and have “psychological stress.”

• Another hard-to-take day: Tax Day. A Gallup poll of 350,000 people found that “tax day” ranks as one of the most stressful days of the year. In fact, 15 percent of people experience extreme stress on tax day.

• And winter in general is a depressing time of year for 5 percent of North Americans with seasonal affective disorder – or SAD. It's a form of depression typically felt from December through March. It's thought to be caused by decreased exposure to sunlight during the winter months – which explains why it’s 10 times more common in Alaska than in Florida.