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Scandinavia has some of the coldest, darkest winters on the planet. How do Scandinavians not only endure but enjoy winter? mindset matters.
The results of our study in Norway found that having a positive wintertime mindset was associated with greater life satisfaction, willingness to pursue the challenges that lead to personal growth, and positive emotions.
What is a “positive wintertime mindset”? It means seeing winter not as the absence of summer, sun, and warmth, but rather an oppotunity to be cozy, to rest and reflect more, and gather strength. To see winter not for what it lacks, but for what it offers us.
I pointed out that Norwegians embrace the idea of koselig, or “coziness” – that making the conscious effort to light candles and fires, drink warm beverages and snuggle under blankets can be enjoyable and relaxing.
And taking the time to bundle up and get outside even in the worst weather can help you feel like winter isn’t limiting your opportunities for recreation. Norwegians have a saying that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” which typifies their ingrained belief that being active is part of a happy life – and, especially, a happy winter.
I think this advice applies to the “winters” of life, like the one in which I find myself now. With COVID raging out there, I can no longer see friends or family, eat at restaurants, or work full time. It’s easy to focus on what this season has taken from me, but what would a “winter mindset” look like for COVID? More walks and baths now that I’m working from home instead of commuting, maybe.
I also read Katherine May’s Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times which makes similar points about life’s winters:
Plants and animals don’t fight the winter. They don’t pretend it’s not happening and carry on living the same lives that they lived in the Summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time for withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency, and vanishing from sight. But that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life-cycle, but its crucible.