Depression

Melancholy is a Victorian term for depression, which effects many people during the holidays and winter months.
"Got the blues," is another phrase we often hear batted about. It has been attributed to a lack of  hormones in the brain or to the fact that natural light is in limited supply. These two factors maybe connected.
January in Ono County is both cloudy and windy with few shafts of sunlight breaking the bleakness. People in the middle ages were advised to avoid fried meats and overly salty foods from one source we read. It reads like this was written from a modern pen who had little knowledge of mediaeval cooking methods, which were stewing and on special occasions roasting.
We are not talking about chronic depression, but for those who are just a little down we are firm advocates of changing habits and how you do things.  
This writer suggests developing a new skill that can be accomplished indoors to take your mind off yourself. This reinforces the old adage, God helps those who help themselves.
Take a walk if at all possible. If walking is not an activity you've developed, then start small and build up your endurance. This is the single most physical and mental health medicine that only you can apply for yourself.
Sneaking up on a new activity is much more likely to produce long term results than going at it whole hog or flat out as you will soon abandon the effort.
Stephen King, that last sentence is filled with adverbs, which we refuse to edit. Laughter will also banish the blues.