How to survive the winter
The winter season tends to make a lot of people feel a bit down. When the city is dark and cold and everyone seems so stressed, how can you get yourself in the festive mood? Here are some tips for combating the winter blues.
Go in search of the sun
The short days in the winter often mean that it’s still dark outside when you get up in the morning – and it’s dark again by the time you come home. This can leave you feeling dejected. There are two options to remedy this: a UV lamp to use at home – or get out of the city! The sun often shines down on the Uetliberg mountain while the city descends into fog. The Uetliberg train can get you there in around 30 minutes, depending on where you want to get off. The Planet Trail or the toboggan run are perfect weekend activities for escaping the everyday gloom of the city and recharging your batteries.
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Vitamin boosts
Winter is flu season. This is the time to make sure that you are getting enough vitamins. The most important vitamin for the winter is vitamin D: the human body can produce this by itself, but it needs natural sunlight to do so – something that is lacking in Zurich in the winter. Signs of a vitamin D deficiency can be tiredness, mood swings and cold symptoms. To prevent this, you need to go outside as often as possible to get enough natural light. Eating foods rich in vitamin D, such as herring, salmon, liver or eggs, cheese and butter, also helps. An alternative to this is vitamin D supplements, which you can pick up without a prescription at any pharmacy.
Go on a wintry walk
It has been proven time and time again that exercise is good for health and can improve well-being. Just a short 20-minute walk is enough to have a positive effect on the body and the mind. Lots of districts in Zurich have some urban woodland, such as Zürichberg, Adlisberg, Hönggerberg, Käferberg or Uetliberg, perfect for a relaxing mini-hike. Alternatively, you could take a walk around one of the many beautiful parks in the city or the quays by the lake. How about a visit to the MFO park in Oerlikon or the Old Botanical Garden in the city centre/Wiedikon?
The view on Zurich from Uetliberg
Get active
For those who need a bit more action, there are some great winter activities to raise your serotonin levels. The most obvious choices are winter sports, such as skiing or ice sports: there are plenty of ski resorts less than an hour away, for example Flumserberg, Atzmännig, Hoch-Ybrig or Rigi. You can even go ice skating or play ice hockey in the city. You can find our Zurich ice rink guide here. As well as outdoor sports, winter is the perfect time to do all the indoor activities that you miss out on during the summer months: what about some laser tag? There are two options for this in the city centre with LasergameZone and the Laser Arena.
