Most Depressing Week of the Year

I have posted about Blue Monday before but as the "Most Depressing Week of the Year" is near, I thought it may be appropriate to post again.  The third week of January seems to be most depressing because:  we have often broken our resolutions by then, the weather is usually bad, our holiday spending is now coming in the form of a credit card bill, the days are short and it seems it will be a while until another vacation time.

We can give into the gloom of the moment or take the opportunity to celebrate the occasion.  Plan a contest or special event during this week and let the staff know you are doing it to celebrate "the most depressing week of the year."   Take this opportunity to change the mindset of how we handle adverse situations in life.
The ole saying is when life gives you lemons .....

If you want more about this time of year, I have copied and pasted information on how to change you mood this time of year.

Depressing, huh? Try to cheer up, though, because there are plenty of ways to beat back the oh-so-common winter blues, starting with the basics: certain types of food. 

"Definitely aim to eat salmon for the mood boosting properties found in omega 3s," nutritionist Mitzi Dulan, co-author of The All-Pro Diet, tells Yahoo! Shine. As for drinking, skip the alcohol, which can deplete your happiness and energy levels, and replace with copious amounts of water. "People often forget to hydrate well in the winter," Dulan says, adding that, for a treat, "a portion-controlled piece of chocolate can boost your mood, as it stimulates the release of endorphins in the brain, which improve mood." 

Finally, she suggests, swallow a dose of Vitamin D while you're at it-or get outside for a while if it's a sunny day-as the vitamin "increases serotonin levels in the brain, which affect your mood." 

Before you head outside, you might want to pull on your running shoes so you can break into a jog, because exercise, of course, is also a known cheerer-upper. Physical activity can reduce your risk of depression and may help you sleep better, according to the CDC, and the Mayo Clinic reports that exercise helps ease depression by releasing serotonin in the body, cleansing immune system chemicals, boosting self-confidence and taking thoughts off of anxieties. 

Getting yourself into the light has other benefits, too, Terman, says. Light therapy can keep your circadian rhythms--whether you are inherently a late-night person or an early riser--in check through winter. "This can greatly reduce the seasonal burden," he says, suggesting that, to find out what you inner clock thinks is early or late, and when best to try light therapy, take the free, online chronotype questionnaire offered by the Center for Environmental Therapeutics (of which Terman is president). 

Aiming to cheer up someone else is yet another way to yank yourself out of your pity party. "Sometimes there's no better mood lifter than getting out of your own head space and focusing on doing something good for another person," One Good Deed: 365 Days of Trying to Be Just a Little Bit Better author Erin McHugh told Yahoo! Shine. "It doesn't need to be big: I find little and constant can be life-changing. It's a truism that you get more than you give, and I defy you to do something nice for someone else and walk away without a spring in your step. Bring a flower. Tell a funny story to cheer someone. Give a compliment. Write a note. It all works."