As the hubbub of the holidays fades away, many of us battle the onset of the winter blues. Ironically, the shortest day and longest night are already behind us and while we are graced with a little bit more daylight every 24 hours, the dark days of winter stretch in front of us for many weeks: the first day of spring isn’t until the end of March.
While we here in Southern Indiana are often given the gift of some mild sunny days that serve as a respite from the cold during this quarter of the year, the icy days do tend to take their toll. Especially this year with the pandemic continuing to put a damper on a lot of the activities that have given us joy in the past, and events to look forward to such as an outing to the movie theatre, a concert, or a night out at a busy energetic restaurant, we need a way to reframe how we experience winter.
Enter inspiration from the Scandinavians.
A few years ago, the concept of hygge (the Scandinavian lifestyle art of coziness) was all the rage. This year, meet friluftsliv. If you are trying to figure out how to pronounce that odd looking word, a quick internet search will tell you it is said like “free-loofts-liv.” Literally, friluftsliv means “open-air living,” but it really encompasses a lot more than that. As a concept, friluftsliv refers to embracing your relationship with the great outdoors and reconnecting with nature in such a way that uplifts your spiritual and physical well-being.
Plenty of us like to get fresh air when the weather is perfect, but friluftsliv calls us to commune with nature year round, despite conditions that we have come to think of as intolerable.
Not only does spending time outdoors promote the production of Vitamin D in our bodies, but it also reduces stress and lowers blood pressure. Reduced stress leads to better sleep which is tied to a myriad of health benefits. Getting fresh air also improves focus and mood, which means maybe you won’t need that afternoon cup of coffee and sugary snack to maintain productivity and collegiality with your peers. And, ultimately, it is just good for your immune system…and we can use all the help we can get with that right now. Don’t believe me? Just do an internet search for “benefits of spending time outdoors in winter” and you will be blown away by how much you find.
Obviously, to really dive into friluftsliv, you will have to invest mental energy into figuring out where you will create time in your day, and you might have to invest money to make sure that you have appropriate garments and accessories for keeping yourself comfortable. Your body will acclimate to being outside in the colder temperatures, and eventually, you will start to crave it. Here’s how to get started:
- Pick a time of day when it is likely to be the warmest.
- Decide that you will spend 5 minutes outside the first day and then add 5 minutes everyday until you are at 60 minutes total.
- Consider breaking up the time to spend 30 minutes outside at lunch, and then maybe another 30 minutes outside before or after dinner, or maybe even get up a bit earlier and get some fresh air with the sunrise.
- Dress in layers and over-bundle: socks, long underwear, ear muffs, hat, scarf, sunglasses, gloves and/or mittens, boots. Even legwarmers are back in style.
- Don’t forget the lip balm.
- Get someone to join you: the company of a friend or colleague can be motivating and in these times when we are more isolated than usual, spending time outside is an assured safe way to socialize
- Go for a walk
- Drink a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate while outside
- Gather socially distant around the backyard firepit.
- Or, if you can’t walk, just sit on a bench and read or watch the world go by. Alternatively, call a friend and chat while breathing in the fresh air
The good news about the pandemic is that the facemask can help you make the leap into the cold air. While in past years, you probably didn’t even own a face mask, or if you did, you felt too conspicuous wearing one in public, this year, no one will think twice if you decide to don a face mask on a 20 degree day to take a walk at lunchtime. You will be amazed how much warmer you stay and how much more comfortable you feel with your nose and mouth covered when it is so cold outside.
Chances are, if you bundle-up correctly, and keep moving, you will probably get pretty warm by the time you return to shelter or your car.
We know this sounds crazy, but what do you have to lose? For more inspiration on the whys and hows for friluftsliv, check out these websites:
