I have never understood the association of blue with depression, melancholy and sadness. In psychology it is a colour of peace, harmony, trust and loyalty so why did a psychological emotion such as being depressed become colloquially known as “being blue.” In Australia we have a high rate of youth suicide and depression and Beyondblue is an independent, non-profit organisation set up to aid sufferers of depression as well as working towards overcoming the stigma of anxiety and depression by raising public awareness and reducing the stigma associated with it.
When I get depressed I don’t feel blue. I don’t think I feel any colour. Instead I feel empty, devoid of all colour, colourless. The world becomes gray. There is no light shining adding brightness anywhere. The colour of depression is a Northern Hemisphere colour, the colour of the weather that causes SAD – seasonal affective disorder. It’s prevalence in the United States ranges from 1.4% of the population suffering from it in Florida whilst in New Hampshire 9.7% of the population are affected. It is most often caused by the absence of blue so why is it sometimes called “winter blues?”
Blue to me is a colour of immense happiness and joy. I wake up and if the sun is shining I say “It’s a blue day” and everyone around me knows that today I am happy as a lark. I sing in the shower and skip whilst walking the dog. When I get to the river and see that it is blue also it is like a double whammy of rapture, transporting me with delight to that state of euphoria.
Blue definitely does that for me.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Irene,
I also wondered that myself. Why they call depression having “The Blues”……I could only wish my depression was just seasonal, but mine is Bipolar with emotional depression. So I have more than the occasional depressed day 😦
But relocating here to Arizona from Oregon, the sun is AWESOME! And it has helped my depression. I just take each day as it come, and try like hell to not let my mental illness stop me from all my passions of life! 🙂 *Author, Cat Lyon* 🙂
Great Post.
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Thank Catherine, I’m glad you have found the sunshine a little helpful. I can only guess at the depth of your depression as I only suffer occasionally. I admire your resilience to take each day as it comes and pursue your passion. I take my hat off to you and have the greatest admiration for you and your blog raising awareness for those recovering from addiction. Thank you for your comments. Cheers Irene
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Awe….Thank You Irene! That really means a lot to me! 🙂 Xo *Cat*
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🙂
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Bloody EXCELLENT piece, Irene !!! – wish someone would come up with an answer. Hope so. 🙂
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Thanks M-R.
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Blue is my favorite color, and I like the blue sky, the blue ocean, and the blue river, too. I also wonder why the color blue is associated with depression. I enjoyed reading your post.
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Thank you Romi. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Cheers Irene
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Visiting on the 2nd day of the #atozchallenge. Happy to find a fellow writer. Hope you make lots of new blogging friends this month. Imagine, here I am writing you from North Carolina in America. I’m writing about gardening this month. If you have interest or time, come visit. Congratulations on a blog that I know takes your time and creativity!
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Thank you Stepheny. I’ll definitely visit you. As luck would have it I lost our internet connection on the 31st March so visiting people as intended is going to have to be limited to short bursts when I am able to log on. But you’ll definitely see me around. I hope the month goes well for you also.
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I think of blue as a bedroom color, one that’s relaxing and will help with sleep. This isn’t, by any means, saying that blue is a sad color. It’s just quiet and calming to me.
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I agree Glynis. It’s a colour that makes you feel at peace and harmony with the world and that would be conducive to sleep.
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