Surviving the Icelandic Winter

Photo: Hildur Örlygsdóttir

Fellow students, winter is upon us. Darkness is closing in, rain is turning into sludge, and finals are drawing ever nearer. Seasonal affective disorder is becoming very real, and in order to survive the harrowing weather conditions on our little North-Atlantic rock and maintain our sanity throughout our examinations, certain measures can be of great help. Below are some tips and tricks to help you survive the Icelandic winter:

LAYER UP

If you don’t have Föðurland (woolen long johns and long sleeves), that needs to change. A woolen base layer works wonders to insulate heat. Also, make sure that your outer layer is waterproof, but more importantly: wind-resistant. Icelandic temperatures don’t drop that low, but the collision of Atlantic and Arctic air causes stormy weather, ceaseless winds and horizontal snow, which can get quite intense in the bleak midwinter. Decent winter coats can be expensive, but you can find cheaper ones in second-hand stores such as Hringekjan and Extra-loppan.

FREQUENT THE SWIMMING POOLS

Swimming pools are the closest thing Icelanders have to a sunny beach. Getting a warm hug from geothermal water will lift your mood and float you right through the winter. A sauna session is a great way to wind down and improve sleep quality, and for the full Finnish experience, I recommend hitting the cold pot afterwards. It may seem like a contradiction to dunk in cold water to stay warm, but it’s refreshing and helps the body warm itself up as long as the cold pot is 6°- 10° Celsius and you don’t dwell too long in it. I recommend starting with a few seconds only, keeping your hands out of the water, and then walking around or sitting down after getting out of the cold water, so that your body has a chance to warm up naturally (instead of plunging straight back into the hot tub). You can build up a certain tolerance to the low temperatures, but it’s not recommended to stay longer than 5 minutes in such cold water.

GET SOME LIGHT AND DON’T FORGET YOUR VITAMIN D

The lack of natural daylight in the winter is one of the main reasons behind seasonal depression. Our few precious hours of daylight in the winter are often spent indoors, and the absence of sunlight causes a vitamin D deficiency. Taking some cod liver oil or soft gel tablets in the morning helps your body stay balanced. It can also be very beneficial to invest in a daylight lamp that mimics natural daylight in the darkest morning hours and makes it easier to get out of bed. If you can’t afford to splurge on a daylight lamp, Vesturbæjarlaug has daylight lamps in their changing rooms (not the main changing rooms, but the smaller changing rooms where the sauna is).

SEEK OUT CULTURE

Reykjavík’s music scene warms the heart throughout the year. Check out Skuggabaldur’s live jazz events, and live music at KEX Hostel, Mál og menning and Húrra. Or you could grab an instrument and use the dark winter months as inspiration to create music of your own. If you’re in need of a strange instrument, check out Sangitamiya on Grettisgata.

FIND THE BEST COFFEE IN TOWN

Rumour has it that out of all university buildings, Oddi has the best coffee. Outside of the university area, downtown Reykjavík is brimming with coffee shops and warm drinks, which are essential as you work on your studies. I recommend Reykjavík Roasters, especially the one in Ásmundarsalur – most of the time, there’s an ongoing art exhibition you can check out as well.

GET SOME EXERCISE 

The new World Class gym in Gróska, right next to the university, offers student discounts. Their facilities include saunas, both classic and infrared, a hot tub and a cold pot. The University gym is also available if you’re on a budget.

ENJOY THE SEASON

Winter in Iceland is beautiful, especially on those precious still days when the wind lets down a little. Enjoy the beautiful winter skies while hiking amidst snow-covered trees in Öskjuhlíð or walk through the west side of Reykjavík (I recommend getting ice cream from Ísbúð Vesturbæjar, or Vesturbæjarís as Icelanders call it, in the dead of winter). Make sure to go ice skating in Ingólfstorg, where the City of Reykjavík opens their ice skating rink every year – according to their website, the fourteenth Yule Lad, Grímusníkir (which translates to face mask hoarder), will reportedly be making an appearance.