# 103 THE HARD SCIENCE OF DEPRESSION

So tell me, how were you feeling yesterday? The reason I’m asking is because British psychologist, Dr. Cliff Arnall, has created a scientific formula to determine the most depressing day of the year. And this year that day was January 23rd.

Now if you’re already saying you didn’t need to know that, oh yes you did. You needed to know that because no matter how low, how blue, how depressed, you might have been on Monday, you are better today (despite the outcome of the election) and that is not wisdom from any mystical or astrological soothsaying. That is a fact.

And the other fact of the matter is you are not going to have another day as blue as Monday, January 23rd, until some time around the 23rd or 24th of January in 2007. So that has to be a cheery thought for your day.

Of course the other consideration, that I’d rather not mention, is all the old-hat stuff that plays into this perfect science. Things like proper rest, volunteering, healthy diet, exercise, etc. These are the things that the experts say could mess up your most depressing day and unwittingly shift it to a random occurrence on your birthday, graduation day, wedding day, or some otherwise festive occasion. So it’s your decision. You can choose to have your most depressing day when everyone else is having theirs, or you can choose to skip the rest, routine, exercise, etc. and have your most depressing day occur whenever.

Personally I prefer the idea of all reaching out to each other and being depressed together. One specified and set-aside day for that kind of business. And now that we know when such a thing will occur, it seems to me that if ever a day needed stat-holiday status, the most depressing day of the year should definitely be out there front and center. Depression, like a bad cold, prefers being put to bed with a box of tissues near at hand, rather than being out and about.