A combining ofCOVID-19 , theflu , cold weather , short days , and spending clock time indoors already has some Americans dread the winter season . wellness experts have also expressed concern over peoples ' genial well - being , as opportunities to engage socially uphold to be limited . In August , a Centers for Disease Control resume revealed that 41 percent of respondents weredealingwith mental wellness issues due to thepandemic .
But the prospect of a long and isolate winter is n’t without case law . In Tromsø , Norway , residents are most without sunlight from mid - November through mid - January . And they might hold the Florida key to coping with the time of year .
Writing forThe Guardian , David Robson recently profiled Kari Leibowitz , a psychologist who claver Tromsø to advantageously understand why its citizens are , broadly speaking , pretty well-chosen people despite the harsh conditions and deficiency of sun . What Leibowitz discovered was that the the great unwashed of Tromsø do n’t dread the icy night — they wait frontward to it .
Leibowitz found that their assessment of a “ lockdown ” was n’t at all downcast . alternatively of employ negatively charged thoughts to it , they regard all the things that would bring them solace . Using a “ mindset scale , ” responder who stated they enjoyed sure facet of wintertime , cozy time spent indoors , and seasonal modification were comfortable . Those who deliberate winter boring or modification were more likely to be unhappy .
Anecdotally , Leibowitz also find that resident of Tromsø were truly mad about the opportunity the season brings , from skiing to resting under a blanket . Rather than feel cut back , they choose to revalue what was possible .
" Most citizenry do n’t realize that their beliefs about winter are immanent , ” Leibowitz aver . “ They feel like they ’re just someone who hat the winter and there ’s nothing they can do about it … But once you put it in multitude ’s heads that mind-set exist , and that you have control over your mindset … I consider that that ’s staggeringly brawny . "
For some mass , like those withSeasonal Affective Disorder(SAD ) , a change in attitude is n’t so easy . But for others , lurch their intellection away from a cold and dark time of year to one full of potential might be one style to find oneself the warmth in winter .
[ h / tThe Guardian ]
