THE festive season with all its merriment is well and truly over; most of us are back to work and children are ensconced at school; the weather is a bit on the cold and overcast side; the days are still very short; the credit card bills with all that Christmas spending are beginning to arrive and the implications of Brexit are about as clear as mud.

It is no wonder that today is gloomily called Blue Monday – allegedly the most depressing day in the northern hemisphere.

Whether myth or scientifically accurate, we can all do with a bit of cheering up at this time of the year.

Former mental health nurse and one half of the Malvern Mindfulness duo Jean Nash explained one of the factors affecting people at the moment could be the lack of daylight.

“There is this phenomenon called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), so when there is a lack of light it seems to have an impact on some people’s mood.

“Also, recent findings suggest the reason we hate Monday’s is because we spend the weekend feeling tired because of getting up late, not doing very much and just chilling.

“The evidence seems to suggest that when Monday comes we cannot get up in the morning. We are relaxed to the degree where it is difficult to get going again.”

Jean, who runs mindfulness courses with another former mental health nurse Sonia Eastwood, suggested there is a way to prevent the Monday blues. “Get up at your normal time over the weekend and make sure you do something you really enjoy – that makes you feel good. It also helps to bring up the cortisol levels.

“If we do this at the weekend, on Monday we feel more energetic and positive and able to get on with the week ahead. It can certainly help people to have a healthier perspective about things.”

She added that it is important to understand that feeling fed up and sad is very different from being clinically depressed.

Malvern Mindfulness runs courses which aim to help people reduce stress, prevent depression relapses, regulate blood pressure, aid sleep, manage pain and general enhance wellbeing. Jean added it is very important that people are kind to themselves and take breaks in their stressful lives to relax.

More information about mindfulness and courses is available at http://www.malvernmindfulness.co.uk/.

The British Dietetic Association has also come up with some tips to help people through Blue Monday.

It says: “We all have good days and bad days but what we eat and when we eat can influence our mood, energy levels, concentration and even how we deal with stress at work.”

1. Our mood is influenced by a steady supply of nutrients to the brain so try not to skip breakfast or lunch.

2. Choosing complex carbohydrates provides blood sugar to the brain so eat wholegrain breads and cereals, brown rice and pasta, couscous, pulses and beans, fruit and vegetables.

3. Include a range of nutrient dense foods in your diet which are important for healthy brain function. In particular, look for foods rich in iron and B vitamins such as meat, eggs, oily fish, pulses, green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals.

4. Dehydration can make us tired, anxious and lacking in concentration. Adults need six to eight large mugs of fluid a day even in mild temperatures. Water is great but plenty of other drinks count as well such as milk.

5. A lunch break is a good opportunity to rehydrate, refuel and get some activity or fresh air. This supports performance and positive wellbeing at work.