Toolbox: How to stave off Berlin winter depression
A winter survival guide for Berlin’s sleepless creatives
It’s October. Once again, Berlin’s nights are getting longer, and the days shorter.
People in Berlin complain about winter a lot. Look on any local meme account between November and April and you’re bound to see one meme after another, decrying the shared seasonal misery.
I’ve never lived anywhere where people complain as much about this time of year, and I’ve lived in Moscow, where winter temperatures would dip below -20 degrees Celsius. Since many people struggle with it, I’ve put together a toolbox to help you get through winter.
Even if you don’t live in Berlin, parts of this toolbox may still be useful to you.
I have a broad social circle, but my background is in the music industry. Some of my friends are DJs, many of my friends are club-goers, and almost all of my friends spend most of their day on laptops and smartphones. This is written with them in mind.
If you are dealing with an acute crisis, the Berliner Krisendienst is available to support you. They operate in many languages and offer support 24 hours per day. Please get in touch with them.
Sleep
Nothing can replace sleep. Detox all you want. Eat healthy. Workout. But if you don’t sleep enough, you are not giving your body and mind the opportunity to utilise all that effort.
Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
That means going to bed and waking up at around the same time each day. Even when the mornings get dark.
Keep your phone out of reach from your bed. Charge it at the other side of your room. Bonus: if you use your phone as an alarm, you’ll now need to get up to switch it off.
Use the hour before bed to prepare for the next day: tidy up, select your clothes, and so on. Take away any chore that may make getting out of bed harder in the morning.
Get a good sleeping mask if you can’t darken your room. Get earplugs if you can hear neighbours or street noise. I am personally very happy with my Loop Earplugs and a Manta Sleep Mask (and I’m not being paid to write this), but if you have other recommendations, leave a comment.
Move
At a minimum, take a 30-minute uninterrupted walk every day to get the blood moving. If you’re like me, though, you may need more.
Cycle. If you don’t have a bike yet, there are regular second-hand bike markets where you can buy one. If you’re unsure if cycling is for you or don’t want to deal with the hassle of fixing your bike, you can get a sturdy bike for 21 euros per month with Swapfiets. Cheaper if you’re a student and even cheaper if you lock in for a longer time period.
Go to Decathlon to get yourself some rainwear and warm winter layers.
Then cycle as much as you can.
You won’t miss those packed U-Bahn commutes with Berlin’s colourful cast of characters (though admittedly, sometimes it can be fun).
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Next, get an Urban Sports Club (USC) subscription and start going to whatever is nearest to you that sounds appealing or like an interesting challenge. An easy way to start is BEAT81’s spinning classes. I also like their HIIT classes. Through the USC platform, you can also go bouldering, find yoga and pilates classes, go to gyms, and find tons of other activities.
Again, I want to emphasise finding something close to you, so you make it as easy as possible to show up.
Lots of movement will help you feel better, it will help your metabolism, and it will help you sleep better. All of this also benefits your mental health.
Once you’ve found a school, gym, or trainer you like, consider subscribing to them directly. USC is a fantastic deal for its users in Berlin, but offering up to 30 classes (one per day) for 69 euros per month is clearly unsustainable. It means they’re using investor money to grow their subscriber base and pay venues, whilst putting an immense downward pressure on pricing.
So, support your local trainers and go direct if you can.
A great example of a place with great teachers and great value for money options is Authentic Body Control in Neukölln, which specialises in pilates.
For even cheaper options, consider joining a running club that stays active throughout winter. Luckily, Berlin winters have been very mild over the past years. Or, join whatever affordable gym is closest to you.
Remember: the goal is to get you moving.
Once you’ve established a habit, you can figure out upgrades.
Dance (sober)
Dancing is a great form of exercise.
If you struggle with mental health in winter and want to stay close to the dancefloor, try going sober.
If going clubbing sober is uncomfortable for you, then there are options.
Dose of Pleasure, Tanzen3000, and Overflow all organise events during the day or evening that are best described as guided dance activations. There’s an instructor who provides themes for you to explore. These spaces are very accepting, and they offer a great, playful, and inclusive way to get into dancing while sober.
You can also try out improvisation or more structured dance classes at schools like Tanzfabrik and motion*s.
I promise, you will not be the only person there who is there for the first time and may be feeling a bit uncomfortable. Facing that challenge is a great way to give yourself moments of pride throughout the winter.
There are also sober-first options like Lemonade Queers, The Naked Tea Party, and Lunchbox Candy that exemplify that Berlin truly has nightlife options for everyone.
If you’re struggling with substance abuse, talk to your GP or have a look at the many resources available.
I’m not saying go sober forever. But by going to sober-positive events, you can learn to depend less on those 1 or 2 beers at the start of the evening to get you going. Your body and mind will thank you — especially if you typically struggle in the winter months.
Explore
Berlin has a lot to offer. When the weather gets colder, it’s easy for the world to shrink by staying at home and watching Netflix. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap.
Undo yourself from these traces of pandemic habits.
Commit to exploring.
Novelty activates your dopamine system, which enhances “mood, positive outlook, motivation, and goal setting.”
The couch is your friend for recovery, but don’t glue yourself to it.
Subscribe to newsletters that feature the best Berlin has to offer. Some that I follow are The Next Day Berlin, Handpicked Berlin, and Berlin Events Weekly.
(And if you’re not subscribed to this newsletter yet, I recommend doing so now ;-))
Stay social
Berlin celebrates individuality, but the individualism that comes with that can also make things quite lonely. Luckily, you’re not alone in your loneliness.
If you enjoy the outdoors, you can join hiking groups such as the Cozy Hiking Club.
If you prefer the indoors, you can hang out with The Offline Club, whom I’ve written about last July.
You can use Meetup to find more groups and communities than you could ever have time for, from “stitching and bitching” to left-green feminist reading and writing groups to groups that practice holding eye contact for minutes on end. Of course, there are also plenty of events dedicated to professional life, dating, and language exchange.
Warm up
The cool thing about winter is that it kicks off with the longest night of the year, after which each consecutive day is a little longer than the previous one.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the dipping temperatures. And Berlin’s typical Twin Peaks-style grey winter skies don’t help either.
As winter progresses, many people choose to travel to south. If you want to do something more sustainable for both the environment and your personal finances, there are good options in the city, too.
The Botanical Garden in Berlin features a vast complex of greenhouses housing cacti, palms, and other plants that thrive in warmer ecosystems. The main tropical greenhouse is 23 meters high and one of the largest in the world. If you can’t get enough, visit the Gärten der Welt’s 2,000 square meter Balinese garden.
If that’s not hot enough, visit one of the centrally located spas, such as Vabali or Liquidrom, for their saunas, pools, and some hours offline. Alternatively, make it a day trip and venture further out to the thermal baths and spas in Lüdwigsfelde, Neuruppin, or Bad Saarow.
And if you want to warm up in December while the days are still getting shorter, then the city’s Christmas markets are your friend. I’ve personally always enjoyed warming up by one of the many campfires at the medieval Christmas market on RAW-Gelände.
~
Over to you. What’s your number one tip for Berlin’s darker months?
Have a friend who always seems to struggle in winter?