by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 9:25 AM ET, Mon January 19, 2026
Antigua beach (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair-McKenty)
Every January, the third Monday is widely labelled Blue Monday.
Like a January Groundhog Day, once the holiday glow disappears, we’re back at the so-called “saddest day of the year.”
The truth?
First dubbed the “most depressing day of the year” in 2005, Blue Monday was not science but a UK travel agency marketing campaign. The concept was based on a formula combining weather, post-holiday debt, broken New Year’s resolutions, and low motivation. Experts have since called the formula pseudoscience, but the idea has stuck, giving the travel industry a yearly hook to promote winter escapes and wellness getaways.
“But the reason it has caught on in the public imagination, especially in Canada, is that it rings true,” says the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). “Daylight is at a premium, nights are long and cold, holiday bills are arriving, and most of us are the furthest away we can be from the next thing to look forward to.”
CAMH psychologist Dr. Donna Ferguson adds, "It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If people feel they have already failed to live up to their resolutions, this self-imposed anxiety, coupled with the belief in Blue Monday, could be the perfect storm for triggering those predisposed to depression."
Experts recommend getting enough sleep, staying active, and making mindful choices about eating and drinking (perhaps Dry February). Travel to destinations with outdoor adventures and sunshine might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Legit science? No.
Effective travel marketing? Absolutely.
While Blue Monday might not be real science, it has become an annual pop-culture moment we all love to talk (or write) about.
Happy Blue Monday! If that’s a thing.
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