{"id":23325,"date":"2026-01-19T09:21:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/?p=23325"},"modified":"2026-01-19T09:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:23:25","slug":"york-expert-available-to-talk-about-blue-monday-and-keeping-winter-blues-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/2026\/01\/19\/york-expert-available-to-talk-about-blue-monday-and-keeping-winter-blues-away\/","title":{"rendered":"York expert available to talk about Blue Monday and keeping winter blues away"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

While \u2018most depressing day\u2019 has been debunked, winter comes with mental health challenges for many<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Prof. Rebecca Pillai Riddell<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

TORONTO, January. 19, 2025 \u2013<\/strong> Blue Monday, typically falling on the third Monday in January, has been dubbed \u2018the most depressing day of the year.\u2019 While this is more rooted in marketing than science, with the concept being popularized by a travel company a few decades ago to boost winter getaway sales, it does come at a time where it\u2019s common for people to be experiencing issues with their mood, says York University Faculty of Health Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s the dark winter days, post-holiday debt or other factors, many people do struggle more with their mental health in the winter, and for some people the effect is stronger, going into Seasonal Affective Disorder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLess daylight, colder weather, post-holiday excess recovery, including physical, mental and emotional, and a particularly bad flu season can all take their toll on our mental health,\u201d says Pillai Riddell, also the Tier 1 York Research Chair in Pain and Mental Health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pillai Riddell says most Canadians report having the winter blues and is available to talk to media about strategies to cope with the winter blues.\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-30-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

York University<\/em><\/a> is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for success. York's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. York\u2019s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emina Gamulin, York University Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blue Monday, typically falling on the third Monday in January, has been dubbed \u2018the most depressing day of the year.\u2019 While this is more rooted in marketing than science, with the concept being popularized by a travel company a few decades ago to boost winter getaway sales, it does come at a time where it\u2019s common for people to be experiencing issues with their mood, says York University Faculty of Health Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1550,"featured_media":23324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,339,401],"tags":[2252,73,69,1624,2253,2254],"qualifier":[1853],"news-author":[1899],"class_list":["post-23325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-featured","category-media-releases","category-news","tag-blue-monday","tag-faculty-of-health","tag-mental-health","tag-rebecca-pillai-riddell","tag-seasonal-affective-disorder","tag-winter-blues","qualifier-by","news-author-emina-gamulin"],"yoast_head":"\nYork expert available to talk about Blue Monday and keeping winter blues away - News@York<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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