How to Beat the Winter Blues in the Netherlands: Staying Sane in the Dark Months

Every year, since I moved to the Netherlands, I had a problem with winter: starting November, and lasting till March, I would get the winter blues and feel down, missing the sun and dreaming of spring. Around January, I would be overtaken by the feeling that winter is worse than before, that those never ending dark days will drive me mad. It wasn’t until my 8th winter in the Netherlands that I adjusted to the climate. I started to see the beauty in the short winter days and long period of darkness. Curling up on the sofa with a book, candles on the table, waking in the morning to see the sunrise (with no effort, since the sunrise happens after eight at this time of the year) – all these are now things I look forward to.

I don’t know if my efforts to make peace with the Dutch winter have led to this current situation, or if it just happened naturally, because my body and mind have got used to it, but I’m glad it happened.
Some winters still feel heavy, though, and the one that taught me the most was the first pandemic winter. Not being able to see my family for a year was pressing on my nerves. It was a challenging year for everyone and, for me, the last few months of it brought a lot of anxiety. It culminated with a health issue that involved visits to the hospital and gave me a good scare, and I blame it on the accumulated stress

After this, I decided to make an effort to keep myself sane and to reduce anxiety as much as possible. That’s easier said than done, but I was determined, I made a plan, I even set up reminders — and most of it has stuck. It might sound a bit much, and you might think I am exaggerating, but for some people this needs to be a project. Otherwise it’s easy to fall prey to the winter blues if we don’t put a bit of effort into preventing it.

Why the winter blues hit so hard in the Netherlands

On the shortest day of the year the sun rises in Amsterdam at about a quarter to nine and sets before half past four: less than eight hours of daylight, and on an overcast day (which is most of them) not much of that reaches you. The Dutch have a word for the result, the winterdip, and it is taken seriously here: light therapy has been used in Dutch clinics for decades, and every winter the daylight lamps come out in offices and living rooms. For most of us it stays a dip: less energy, more sleep, a craving for carbs, no wish to leave the house before March.

If it feels heavier than that, talk to your huisarts. A winter depression is treatable, and you don’t have to wait for spring to feel better.

This article is about the inside job: the daily habits that keep my mood up from November to March.

My plan to beat the winter blues: the daily habits

The main five actions against the blues, the ones I have reminders set up for:

• Meditation. I installed the Calm app a few years ago, and it’s the only meditation app I liked so far. Every time I meditate daily, I see results; but the habit doesn’t stick. When I feel better, I forget to do it. So every winter I start again, and it goes well for a while. I do the stress and anxiety programs right now, but sometimes I try different ones or listen to the bedtime stories — they are very relaxing.

• Morning pages. This is a technique introduced by Julia Cameron in her book ” The Artist’s Way”, consisting in writing three pages, by hand, every morning after you wake up. It’s a writing exercise destined to help artists in their creative pursuit, but it’s actually something that everyone can benefit from. You can write about whatever you want in these pages: your dreams, how you slept, whatever thoughts are bothering you or just passing through your mind in the morning. The morning pages are for your eyes only, so you don’t have to worry about the quality of the writing. You can even destroy the pages after, if you want; just get the thoughts out of your head and don’t worry about anything else. For me, writing the morning pages brings some clarity and stops the spinning wheel of thoughts I wake up to everyday. Sometimes it’s just me trying to fill in those three pages, other times my writing organises my thoughts, gives me ideas.

• Spending time outdoors. Nature walks were my go to therapy the entire year. Going to the forest, the beach, or even just to the park and around the city is a good way to clear my mind — my favourite winter walks in the Netherlands are in their own article.

• Exercise. I used to do weights training, until a health problem forced me to take a break from intensive sports and do only stretching and gentle yoga. Even those help, on the days I can make myself do them, and the plan every winter is to try harder.

• Reducing sugar and refined grains. The only way I can help my body heal (apart from rest) is to feed it whole, healthy food and less sugar. This is supposed to also help avoiding the mood swings generated by the carbs, so it’s a win-win situation.

Other things that help me through the Dutch winter

• Spending time with friends. For me, this is a must in order to keep my spirit up. Meeting friends for a walk or a coffee break fills me with energy.

• Crafting. Creating something with our own hands brings delight and relaxation. One December I made some Christmas ornaments from paper and oranges, and it was a very pleasant afternoon.

• Painting. The only activity that can make me forget about anything else is painting. When I paint, I am “in the zone”, I can see only the brushes, the paint, the easel. I am planning to paint more often, at least once every week.

• Creating a cosy atmosphere in the house. Candles, Christmas lights, cute winter decor — it gives me pleasure to arrange it and makes the house prettier and gezellig.

• Vitamin D. Since I had a vitamin D deficiency in my first years in the Netherlands, I am always taking these supplements during the cold season. I know how tired and depressed you can feel if you are lacking vitamin D, so I take a daily dose of 1000 units to prevent that.

• Cooking comfort food. One of the best things in life is a house filled with the yummy smell coming from the oven: roasted winter veggies, Shepherd’s pie, apple crumble are among my favourites.

• Decluttering. This is a habit that stuck since last year: every month I do a decluttering session, when I get rid of the things that I don’t need anymore or I don’t use. It’s usually combined with a general cleaning of the house, and it feels very satisfying (those who clean the house when they’re stressed know what I’m talking about).

• ASMR videos. They are an important tool in my relaxation and maybe I should dedicate a whole article to these videos.

• Gratitude journal. I don’t keep a physical journal, but every day I take a few minutes to think about what I’m grateful for.

As you can see, my plan to beat the winter blues is elaborate. But this is the most important effort I make every year: taking care of myself, and keeping the habits that have carried me through the past winters.

Which are your favourite actions against the winter blues?

Stay tuned for more and follow Amsterdamian on Instagram and Facebook for more stories about life in the Netherlands, written by a real local, updated constantly.

Check out my photo book: Amsterdam Through the Seasons!

Love what you’re reading? Support my work with a small donation.

Subscribe to the newsletter!

And share this post if you liked it!