Ok, here is something, that no regular tour guide would tell you. Seasonal depression in late autumn and in wintertime seem to play a significant role in the life of the Nordics. This post would give you the insights, it is done in an unusual for this topic photostory format.

A freezingly cold morning in Hyvinkää (Southern Finland). People, all wrapped in cloth, try to get to their destination as fast as they can. You hardly see any faces.

Who is this post for?

If you are going to see Northern Lights and do tourist activities in Lapland – follow these links. You will have an awesome time there. But, if you are a traveler, who likes to engage with locals, or if you are “to-be-an-expat” in Finland or in other Nordic countries – this post could be useful for you. I am by no means a specialist in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but I found, that this is the topic, openly discussed in Nordics by everyone. You seriously cannot bypass. I think if you visit the North, it is important to know what to expect, so these things won’t take you by surprise. Here, I tried to capture my observations and monotony of grey dark days in photos. Everything here is primarily based on Finland, but neighboring Norway and Sweden tell similar stories. Besides the Nordics, I include some shots from the northern, European part of Russia, which has a lot of similarities.

That’s rather a typical view in St. Petersburg in winter. There are more people and less privacy.

Seasonal depression, briefly

In December and early January, Helsinki (where I live) has 6-8 hours of daylight. St. Petersburg (where I am from) is the same. At the same months, inside the Arctic Circle, you experience polar nights. Such large northern cities as Tromso in Norway or Murmansk in Russia have zero amount of daylight. While it is perfect for seeing the Northern Lights, there are other consequences.

This graph shows the sun graph for Murmansk. Pay attention to the beginning and end of the year. Link: sun graphs for cities.

Seasonal depression most commonly occurs in winter, when the lack of sunlight breaks your body rhythms. In the Nordics, such thing as SAD light therapy is not unknown. Special lamps compensate the “lost” sunlight and normalize the body’s internal clock.

About Finland

“This summer was so cold, that my winter depression started before it was over”

I am not surprised to hear such things anymore. At first, I was shocked by the number of people, who talk openly about depression. I asked one Finn: – Why it comes up so often? – Because it is an important topic, people who are depressed feel easier when they can talk openly about it I think it makes sense. Many Finns also tell that they are entirely different (happier) in summer.

Lapland has fewer hours of daylight, but I think it looks …brighter. Snow is there all the time and melts only in the middle of spring.

The weather on the south of Finland changes all the time. In winter, it goes from snow to cold rain and back. Cities look grey and kinda grim.

When you are outside, you usually think only how to get into the comfort of your home. At that time, I find it quite hard to make people go out. Many restaurants are half-empty.

About Russia

I think, things related to seasonal depression, are not openly discussed in Russia unless it is something very serious. But, life is still quite tough at wintertime. There is a lot of people and many look tired.

Central St. Petersburg, Vostaniya Square

I’ve been doing some street photography in Murmansk. I was passing this woman by and asked her for direction, but right before, I took this photo. She was happily smiling when I talked to her and I was surprised that right before she looked different.

In wintertime, there are just too many people, who look like they are lost in thought. It adds up do already dark atmosphere. But the people are really lovely when you talk to them. The photo was taken in central St. Petersburg.

About expats

My personal statistics: every second expat names winter to be the worst thing in the Nordics. “I cannot stand the darkness and cold” – they say. Especially the ones coming from the warm South. In winter, I find it important to visit all the expat gatherings and to keep close to friends. I think it is the time when people should support each other. I know that many sit at home and are lazy to go outside (I am too sometimes), but if so – invite someone to visit you. Most of the expats I know make a break and travel to the south during winter. This isn’t the high season except for Christmas. With low prices, there is no excuse for staying home, this break can make a huge difference. And eventually, in the North, things are not that bad! Right in the middle of the “dark period” you have Christmas and New Year. The cities put lights on the main streets and most of the houses do some Christmas decorations.

And, I am one of the few people, who actually like winter. I want to end the post with an “around-Christmas” image. This is Aleksanteringkatu, probably the most decorated street in Helsinki.

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