Coping with Winter Lockdown

8th November 2020

Last modified on May 13th, 2021

Lockdown Two is very different to Lockdown One. Winter weather with its cold temperatures and short hours of daylight. Here are some tips from Norway.

The BBC has asked people from several countries with long and deep winter for their tips.

And from those who have already endured long lockdowns.

One is Ida Solhaug from Tromso in the ski nation of Norway.

She says coping with a winter lockdown is all about mindset.

The mindfulness researcher at the University of Tromsø says my line of questioning – about how to “get through” the cold months – is a big part of the problem.

She says Brits often see winter as “something to endure” rather than “really embracing winter for what it’s worth”.

She says adopting a “positive winter mindset” could help us cope with the stresses of a lockdown at this time of year.

For example, instead of moaning about not being able to meet up in big groups, be grateful that we can wrap up warm and go on a winter walk with one person from another household, Ida says.

Cycling to work in the snow or meeting friends outside (at -8C) with a flask of coffee were two ways Ida coped with “the long Covid winter” – but she says people in the UK can do far less extreme things to enjoy winter during lockdown.

Ida’s top tips:

Get a winter wardrobe (she says British rain coats aren’t enough, so layer up!)
Light candles to give yourself a comforting break from the darkness outside
Try to take notice of nature and small things around you, like a tree or a ray of sunshine

Regular readers will know that Norway is one of our favourite skiing destinations in Europe.

The skiing may be limited compared to the Alps, with less steep terrain and much smaller areas, but it makes up for it in many other ways.

It is a very different experience.