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Coping with Winter Lockdown

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.

PlanetSKI in Norway

PlanetSKI in Norway. Image © PlanetSKI.

7 reasons why you ski in Norway

PlanetSKI Visits:

Skiing in Norway

Skiing in Norway

It has so far dealt well with Covid-19 with 23,835 confirmed cases and 285 deaths after it went into an early and strict lockdown.

Norway eases more lockdown restrictions

There are restrictions on people from the UK entering Norway with people needing to self-isolate for 10-days.

There is no need to quarantine in the UK on return from Norway.

The BBC is offering other advice from Australia, China and Canada – How to survive a winter lockdown from those who have done it.

Skiing in Norway

Skiing in Norway