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Many internationals newly arrived in Denmark struggle with the long Danish winter.\xa0

The darkness that starts to fall in the early afternoon means that 5pm looks just like 8pm, which looks just like midnight, which looks just like 5am.

Dense, inky black sky.

During the daytime there\u2019s a dim grey light, sometimes accompanied by a soupy fog of tiny raindrops.

It\u2019s tough to handle - even for Danes.

Many people living through this time in Denmark describe feeling low-energy \u2013 sl\xf8j is the very descriptive Danish term. It translates directly to \u201csluggish\u201d.

Others feel deeply depressed. Some eat too much, or drink too much. Some sleep all the time.

It doesn\u2019t have to be this way. Here are my tips for handling these dark months, which generally stretch from November until the end of February.

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Enjoy the brown charm of Danish winter nature

It\u2019s important to get outside during the brief period of light every day. Even if it\u2019s just for 15 minutes on your lunch hour, it really helps.\xa0

Walking in nature is wonderful this time of year if you have right clothing, in particular the right footwear. A good pair of solid boots and you can even go out when it\u2019s icy. Don\u2019t neglect second-hand stores in Denmark. You can usually find a lot of good winter clothes there for not very much money.

Parks, botanical gardens, forests \u2013 they all have a certain charm this time of year. A brown, winter charm, but a charm all the same.

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The secret sauce: a project or a list with things you can check off

Go see how the winter animals are doing. Deer parks are good, see what the deer are up to. And most Danish zoos are open year-round. Go see how happy the polar bears are when the weather is freezing!

But my top tip for making it through the winter is a specific project, like learning how to knit, or learning how to make something out of wood, or even better, a list.

If you have a list, you can check things off as you go along, and you get a feeling of progress as the dark months drag on.

Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.

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