Restaurant serves 100 free meals to beat the 'Blue Monday' blues

The third Monday of January is known by many as ‘Blue Monday’ – a time considered by some to be the most depressing day of the year.

But at the Artisan Grill in Devonshire Mall, the lunchtime crowd had reason to smile.

“Today, we want to make a little change in the momentum of going down this kind of like depressive winter road,” said owner, Matthew Johnston.

According to Johnston, the first 100 patrons received their meal free of charge.

“It's just a way for us to give back to the community that supports us all year round, right?” Johnston said. “I mean, you got credit card bills and some of the highs of Christmas time and all that fun with friends and family right and you kind of get back to the routine and kind of depressing a little bit, but at the same time, you can kind of use that momentum from that holiday season to propel you through it.”

The Artisan Grill in Devonshire Mall gave our 100 free meals to help beat the winter blues in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Winter weather, limited daylight and the low after a busy holiday season are just a few of the factors experts say contribute to feeling depressed during this time.

“January, winter months, we know tend to be a bit more difficult,” said Jenny Almeida, a mental health educator with the Windsor-Essex branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

“We know that about 10 to 15 per cent of the general Canadian population suffer from a mild form of depression, that seasonal affective disorder.”

Almeida said there are some tips and things to do to avoid the lows.

“Just check in with yourself. How are you feeling right now? You know, are you noticing that generally day to day you're experiencing low mood, disparaging low mood,” she said.

“It's getting to know yourself. Again, self-awareness, do what works for you,” she said. “It's behavior activation, exercise. We know that light therapy right now because we're not getting as much sunlight. So taking vitamin D could help. Going outside. Spending more time out nature. Exercise and we know light therapy.”

According to Almeida, officials at CMHA believe “Blue Monday” is a bit of an urban myth, noting the lasting impacts of the day could actually be experienced anytime throughout the year.

“Mental health happens anytime, anywhere to anyone and it may feel a little bit more exacerbated in the winter months but a human being could commonly experience depressive symptoms in the summertime as well,” she said. “We could thank our marketers. It was a ploy to get individuals to say ‘hey, make yourself feel better.’ So for us a CMHA we use the reference ‘Blue Monday’ to say it's not just one Monday. It could be anytime, anywhere to anyone.”

“The best thing to do is to check in with yourself. And you don’t have to go through it alone. It’s just talking. Talking can be so cathartic and helpful and it’s free.”