How to survive over (Finnish) winter? Hints for handling darkness, coldness and depression
Meteorologist says when mean temperature of day is less than zero, it's winter.
Astrologist says winter starts on the winter solstice (21 st or 22nd of December) and ends on the spring solstice (20th or 21 st of March) The polar night starts in Utsjoki 27th of November and ends 1 7th of January. That's the dark time - that one may call hc-winter. However, it's winter when it's cold and dark and no matter what whateverlogist says, winter lasts in Finland from mid November until the end of March.
Temperature in Helsinki 201 0
Even thought it's cold outside, homes are warm or at least heated. The most of the apartments have triple windows, block flats are connected to district heating, houses have verandah and blocks have draught lobbies. And pretty much everywhere one gets warm tap water. Advanced?
People know how to drive during icy times - actually in driving school there are special lessons for driving in"slippery" conditions. The airports are not having crisis when the first snow comes - national railways are but the ice sounds more like an excuse. Depth of snow in Helsinki (201 0-201 2) "Joulu" means December
Homeless people are of course having harder times. In January 201 0 maybe 30 beggar Romas were living on a yard of a social center Satama where they slept in heated caravans. Some kids were staying there too, but the social authorities couldn't accept that. So the cold heart of the city authorities melted in the front of the law and they arranged back up accommodation for the families who had children. People without children - well, adults can take care of themselves.
Roma camp in winter 2011
So how to survive?
Do things which cannot be done during spring, summer or autumn. For example winter sports: Snowboard in a park, ski on the ice in the moon light, ice skate on a lake, sledge, build snow castles, play snow war, create ice sculptures or go just for a walk or on a bike tour to notice that your city doesn't care about sidewalks and bike lanes during winter. Anyway REMEMBER TO GO OUT EVEN IT'S COLD!
What becomes on ones mind about a hole in the ice. Maybe ice fishing or emergency but not swimming, for sure not. However that's a really healthy and famous hobby which is recommended to do twice a week. Paradoxically helps to avoid flu. So get your auger, make a hole, heat up a sauna or go for a jog, dip in, do not dive, go back in and feel the good vibes. ("avantouinti" = to swim in the hole in the ice) During summer one makes easily money by collecting bottles. It's possible during winter too. People do drink outside and there are actually less people hunting the empty ones. One way to earn money is to dig rich people's car under a snow pile. How much to charge? Depends on the amount of snow...
DO THINGS, ENJOY
What to consider? One'll most likely get a flu during winter. Eat a lot of things with vitamin C, like black currants, broccoli and citrus fruits not to avoid it but make it shorter.
Diging bikes from snow at bikeworkshop
During summer skin creates vitamin D from sunlight but in November and in December it's not rare that one sees sun for four hours per month. Not joking, four damn hours per month. The rest of the time it's just foggy and miserable. So try to hang outside every time there is sun (teachers and employers rarely understand this). Well, back to the vitamins. Vitamin D has been added to milk and some fishes has it a lot. Not funny when one eats vegan. There isn't any vegetable with vitamin D. Grains have a minimal amount of it, it has been added to all vegan margarine and some mushrooms might have it. One can always go to the pharmacy or just wait for the spring and hope for the best. Osteoporosis and rickets here we come!
AND DON'T LET THE DEPRESSION STORM
How to create an ice lantern: Fill an 8 litre bucket with water. Take a bucket outside over night. In the morning turn it up side down. Water has frozen but probably/ hopefully not in the middle. Pour the unfrozen water away and put a candle into a hole. How sweet!?
Moominland midwinter - Tove Jansson 1 957 Lantern can also be made out of snowballs like the Moomins did.
Wear properly. Tights and long stockings are uncomfortable but necessary. Hats, mittens and scarfs, of course. Make also sure that there is not holes in soles and do not wet trouser legs. One might not think about it, but wet trouser legs make people really angry and depressed. And one shouldn't forget woolen socks. It's also a nice winter activity to knit while watching movies. Woolen sock pattern: - Cast on 44 loops (eleven on each needle) - Make ribbing for 40 rows (knit 2, purl 2) Change colour, make stripes or dots if you fancy Start a heel: - Knit 11 last and 11 first loops of a row on one needle, let the rest wait - Turn the wrong side and purl all but the last one, turn the right side and knit all but the last one. - Repeat and leave always one more loop until there are eight loops left. - Now start to take loops back. Start with the wrong side. Purl nine turn the work and knit ten repeat. If you are familiar with knitting use wrap and turn technique to avoid holes, by wrapping yarn around the one you don't knit/purl
- When all the loops are back in business keep on knitting with all the loops. If you have really thin feet you may want to decrease 4 loops (one in the end of needle one, one in the beginning of needle three on two rows) - Knit 40 rows, depends how long your feet is Start with decreases: - Knit two together in the end of each needle - When there is eight left cast off
Some people consciously or not drink more during the dark times. If one is used to drink a class of wine at the dinner or couple of sauna beers on Saturdays - in November there goes a bottle during a dinner or 1 2-back during sauna evening. Doupt that helps, but at least one may forget.
Weed smoking is also quite popular in winter times, there's always different posses in different apartments just smoking the whole winter. Lots of people around the world think that best quality of indoor weed is found from Kanada and Finland. Coldness and snow might have something to do with it.
There is a risk to get passive and just lay at home watching tvseries and movies. Here are movie examples about people who didn't survive over winter so well: Reindeerspotting - escape from Santaland (201 0) Black ice (2007) Paha maa (Evil land) (2005)
!TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE - BEAT THE WINTER!
201 2 Free to copy - no rights - no masters Inspired by our friend Hunter