Forget yoga by the pool—find your inner peace in an ice bath
After the collective trauma of the year 2020, who wouldn’t want to spend the next few months recovering in a yoga pose by a pool somewhere tropical and lush, fruity cocktail in hand? But sometimes tough times call for tougher measures and even more exotic restorative techniques.
Why not soothe your frayed mind by taking a page from the Estonian book of living well? Here are five ways to calm your mind and recover from 2020 like they do in the North.
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Take up cold water swimming
Those who do it know that a plunge into icy water can be incredibly rewarding, cathartic, and mentally healing. And while there’s not much cold hard (pun intended) empirical evidence that confirms this beyond the average swimmer’s hunch, many people firmly believe ice swimming can improve circulation, reduce stress, and even strengthen the immune system.
Whether or not science can officially back it up, there has certainly been an uptick in the number of Estonian people taking on this fairly extreme and initially slightly crazy-sounding hobby in response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has been challenging everyone’s mental and physical wellbeing.
In December, the Estonian capital of Tallinn took this gradual development to its most logical conclusion and organised a giant winter swimming relay where more than 500 people took turns to jump into near-freezing water and swim 25 metres in a funny hat. Because that’s how you tell a whole year to go to hell.
Discover the sauna life
Ask any Estonian what the number one traditional social activity is in their country, and the answer will probably be close to unanimous. People sure do love their saunas here. A stone-faced Estonian of few words will wax lyrical and transcend to the highest level of the most sublime storytelling when asked what this whole sauna thing is about.
Why sit in a hot room, whip yourself and your friends with branches, and then take a dip in cold water—only to do it all again… and again… and again? It’s all about that contrast, they might say. That moment of perfect equilibrium between hot and cold, when everything seems just right. You chase that high and once you find it, you’re hooked. You’re a sauna person now. You’ve acquired the inexplicable instinct to occasionally gather a group of friends and sit in the dark with them in bodily discomfort that weirdly feels really good.
In addition to the strangely beautiful cult-like appeal, saunas also have proven health benefits, which makes this ancient Northern pastime rewarding on all fronts.
Get the freshest air
The more comfortable Estonia becomes with its “forest-dwelling tech genius” identity, the more unapologetically quirky the national pastimes are becoming. So when they say you should get some fresh air, don’t just go for another walk. Take it to the Estonian level. Ice skating on a bog lake? Yup. Night hikes? Absolutely. Estonians flock to their countless forests and wetlands to take in the scenery, breathe the world’s cleanest air, and get their steps in when their fitness trackers start getting a bit too sassy.
And if you’re thinking, how nice can it be to spend this much time outdoors in a country that’s cold half the year? Simple: just reframe the way you think about cold weather. The cold isn’t unpleasant. It just has a reputation problem. If you had to wear full-body armor all summer, you’d probably also think summer is terrible.
There’s more to it than just good boots and a hat. Think layers with enough breathing space between them, waterproof boots that fit a pair of wool socks without feeling tight, hand warmers, and a nice thick moisturiser to protect your face from the wind. You’re all set to reap the many and varied health benefits of spending time in nature.
So go—stand on the shores of the frigid sea, looking windswept and interesting. Gaze at the stars atop a hill (not a mountain because there aren’t any here, but the hills are really nice and much easier to get to). Follow a hiking trail to a secluded cabin in the woods and build a fire. Speaking of which...
Watch it all burn!
Wait, no, that came out wrong. Please don’t set anything on fire that shouldn’t be on fire. We mean bonfires and fireplaces.
When you grow up in a country that spends half the year in darkness, you learn to make your own light.
In midsummer, Estonians light bonfires for good luck (and these days, also for roasting marshmallows, if we’re honest). In winter, nothing beats a crackling fireplace. Watching a fire has plenty of meditative benefits, and this image also works very pleasingly as a metaphor for life itself—if you find yourself in darkness, you don’t just sit around sulking. When a pandemic throws a wrench in your plans, you make the most of what you have. Log by log, stick by stick, you build your own fire and bring the light back into your life.
Cultivate an “oh well” attitude
We don’t know what the world is going to look like in six months or a year. In March, plenty of people thought this whole thing would just blow over. These days, we have the hope of a vaccine. But our understanding of the world has changed for good, and that can be a tough pill to swallow.
Oh well, says the Estonian, and goes for a forest walk.
It’s not that Estonians are pessimistic, although it might come across that way. They just like to keep expectations low so they’re never too disappointed. They roll with the punches, and they’re not afraid to greet bad news with a shrug and a joke.
Take social distancing, for instance. When Covid-19 restrictions were lifted after the first wave, Estonians were reportedly relieved that instead of keeping two metres away from other people, they could go back to their usual, more comfortable five metres. While this may be a slight exaggeration, there is a kernel of truth to the Estonian pursuit of isolation. Estonians are used to keeping to themselves, which makes it quite an easy switch when circumstances require it.
An “oh well” attitude doesn’t mean you don’t care about what happens to you or others around you. It means you play the cards you’re dealt, and you get through the tough times with good humour. (Not to be confused with a smile. We don’t smile around here.)
More info: workinestonia.com
