How to Remain Human During Winter

Winters can be harsh. Even more so if your home country happens to lie within the warm and tropical realms of Southeast Asia or the Mediterranean climates of the southernmost tip of Spain. There you were, thinking Erasmus was merely going to revolve around laughing, partying and experiencing fluffy snow for the first time in your life. But the icy, unforgiving truth hit you hard once the initial excitement after the first snowfall ceased and your fingers felt like they were about to fall off. The frosty threat becomes even more imminent now, given that Christmas markets are not yet opening this month and you’re on your own for the first part of this winter’s season. No chance hurdling around a small table in the cold with friends, everyone holding steamy cups filled with savoury “Glühwein”, whilst exchanging titbits about daily life at Uni. What to do?

I first moved to Austria after several years of living in tropical climates where the only notable metrological divisions in a year were marked by either heavy rainfall or no rain at all. My first winter back here hit me harder than an exam in which the majority of questions are based on exactly the chapter I did not study. However, lucky for me, humans are creatures possessing the capability to adapt, improvise and overcome. Now, winter has even become one of my favourite seasons. To make life easier for the remaining weeks, I gathered a few tips for you. Allow me to be bold enough as to leave out the recommendation of a good pair of shoes and a proper coat, in the hopes that before arriving here you have already dealt with the inescapable need of purchasing above mentioned gear.

1. Be an onion – dress in layers

No, this doesn’t mean you have to become an ogre and befriend a donkey voiced by Eddie Murphy. Dressing in multiple thin layers rather than simply wearing a heavy sweater is an efficient method for thermoregulation. Warm air gets trapped between layers of fabric and hence retains your core body heat. Moreover, it is easy to remove or add a layer if you’re exposed to temperature changes by your surroundings. We all know the struggle: Entering a store or other heated location after what felt like leading an expedition through the Antarctica, only to be welcomed by an intense heat that instantly makes you feel as if you were wandering through the dry plains of the Australian Outback.

2. Don’t be a couch potato – stay active

The scene outside your window looks dull, cold and gray. Same as yesterday. Same as the day before that. Probably same as tomorrow. You struggle to get up, your cosy warm bed is calling your name urging you to lie down and lose yourself in a maze of heavy blankets and puffy pillows. The temptation is strong, but you have to be stronger and withstand! Especially if your moods are prone to be negatively affected by “bad” weather, you should try to keep yourself busy. Continue starting your days early in the morning and don’t be intimidated by the dark. If you’re a night owl you might even be able to use the dark in your favour and be productive. Go for a walk, be aware of your surroundings and admire the snowy mountaintops surrounding the city. Be social and meet with friends, keep an indoor sport routine, or use the opportunity to learn the arts of skiing or snowboarding. Try out ice skating or slide down an icy slope on a sledge. Humans have populated cold regions for hundreds if not thousands of years, their iron will to survive these harsh conditions has given rise to the development of numerous activities that we now practice for fun. If you’re not the sporty type, don’t abandon all hope! As long as you get your bottom out of that bed and don’t isolate yourself to the point of hermit existence, you should be fine. Once you leave your tempting lair behind, you will quickly come to realise that Innsbruck is very lively and vibrant during the winter – unlike other cities in Austria.

3. Cold showers

Yes, you read that right and no, I am not crazy. In fact, this ritual emerged after my own personal difficulties abandoning the safety of a hot shower, already dreading the sudden clasp of cold, which was patiently waiting for my turning off the water flow. Perhaps you are lucky enough for your bathroom to be equipped with a functioning heater to make you feel more at ease ending your showering session. Unfortunately, luck was not in my favour back then. One day, I realised, destiny was in my own hands. Whilst showering I decided to exponentially reduce the flow of hot water until I could feel the water gradually become colder. I’m not going to deny the fact it was uncomfortable, nonetheless the glorious feeling of success after finally walking out of the shower without Goosebumps and numbness in my limbs was definitely worth it. Showering hot and radically exposing your body to the cold makes the temperature difference more evident, whereas gradually increasing the cold gives your body more time to get accustomed to the “Siberian Tundra” waiting outside.

4. Don’t forget to “Stoßlüften”

After having been in Innsbruck for a while you may or may not have come across this very peculiar word, describing a very peculiar practice of airing a room by fully opening the windows for a short period of time. Do you ever walk into your room and immediately get hit by a stuffy wave of indefinable smells and stenches, which merged over the course of several days? Yuck. Well, “Stoßlüften” serves the purpose of allowing quick ventilation by exchanging stuffy air in a room with fresh air from the outside world. It is more efficient than only opening the windows partly for long stretches of time, as this causes walls to lose their retained heat, thus requiring more energy to regulate the temperature. Besides that, you probably want to get rid of that musty smell as fast as possible…