We have all been there: the intense joy of Christmas break, but then the extreme letdown once school is back in session. According to Health, the post-holiday blues are “short-term feelings that individuals experience after the holidays, including sadness, loneliness, fatigue, disappointment, sluggishness, mental distress, or even dread of the upcoming winter months.” These are all feelings that are also common on a Monday. Just like in January, Monday is often met with sluggishness and disappointment from a wasted weekend.

Sure, it is not the only 31-day-long month, but it feels like an entire year. Every single day of January stretches out like a pair of your favorite leggings that have torn, leaving you sad and helpless. January being the longest month is not just in our minds, there is a scientific reason behind it. According to New Statesman, an independent newspaper, “This phenomenon is most readily explained by the dopamine clock hypothesis, which states that higher levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in your brain associated with motivation and reward, speeds up your internal clock, making time seem like it is going quicker.” Once January starts and the festivities of the holiday season are over, dopamine levels drop and make time feel slowed down.