The May Blues (Spring Depression)

The “fiscal year (Academic year)” for Japanese government agencies, private companies, schools, and other organizations generally begins in April. The first day of April is the beginning of the year and ends on March 31 of the following year. It’s separate from January, the month in which the calendar year begins. In Japan, this is around the season when winter is over and spring has come. Incidentally, this year delimitation method has been in use since the Meiji Era.

With the beginning of such a new fiscal year or academic year in April, many Japanese working people and students begin their lives in a new environment. Many of them will experience significant changes in their living environment as a result of new employment and transfers at companies, and enrollment and class changes at schools. The public is filled with an atmosphere that is peculiar to this time of year, a mixture of anticipation and worry. And not a few of them feel depressed or sick because of their inability to adapt to life in such a new environment. Insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc… Of course, the severity of the symptoms varies from person to person. But every year, there are more people who have such symptoms around the end of April and the beginning of the Golden Week holidays in May. In Japan, it is called “The May Blues”. You may understand it as something similar to “Spring depression” or “Seasonal depression”. “The May Blues” is a disorder whose main symptoms are depression, lethargy, and anxiety. Commonly, it is said that it is important to try to manage stress through moderate mood swings and rest. However, it still depends on each person; some people suffer from such physical ailments, while others never experience them at all. Therefore, what may be a serious problem for those who have been attacked by “The May blues” is often not so understandable to the latter. In recent years, society as a whole has finally begun to raise awareness and emphasize the importance of such considerations, but… After all, every year at this time, this “The May Blues” comes up as a topic of conversation. It must be very difficult to eradicate this disease…

It seems that even in other countries, similar physical and mental ailments exist, right? All of these factors seem to be due to changes in the living environment caused by the start of a new school year and other factors. Some of you may have just started your new life at this very moment when you read this article. We wish all of you a wonderful new life. Please take good care of yourself.