Moving to Finland can be a deeply transformative experience. With its pristine forests, clean cities, and consistently high quality of life, the country offers countless blessings. Yet for many newcomers, one realization arrives more powerfully than any language barrier or cultural difference: just how essential sunlight truly is.
The Long, Dark Winters: A Stark Awakening
Finland’s northern location means that daylight becomes a rare commodity for several months each year. In midwinter, Helsinki may see only around six hours of daylight, while parts of Lapland experience kaamos—the polar night—when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon at all.
For those raised in sunnier climates or bright winters, this darkness can be genuinely shocking. Its effects aren’t just psychological; they’re physical, too. Fatigue, low motivation, disrupted sleep, mood swings, and even depression are common. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects many people here, including native Finns who have lived with it their entire lives.
According to Iltalehti (published on December 10, 2025), Finland went through an exceptionally dark period when the sun failed to shine for more than an hour anywhere in the country over ten consecutive days. In some regions, there wasn’t even a single second of sunshine—a striking reminder of how profoundly winter darkness shapes life in the Nordics.
Read the full article here:
https://www.iltalehti.fi/saauutiset/a/8ba4536e-1951-45cd-b718-687c38bc9fc6
The Moment Everything Changes
After weeks—or months—of gray skies and barely-there daylight, something remarkable happens when the sun finally returns in late winter or early spring. The shift is almost tangible. People step outside more. Faces soften. Sidewalk cafés reopen. The city feels alive again.
It’s often in that first warm ray of sunlight that a realization quietly settles in: sunlight isn’t just pleasant—it’s vital.
A Newfound Respect for Light
Living in Finland teaches you to notice light in ways you never did before—both practically and emotionally. You begin to observe:
- How the angle of the sun affects your mood
- How light shapes your energy levels and sleep
- How instinctive it becomes to “chase the sun” whenever it appears
You might find yourself planning your day around daylight hours, rearranging furniture to capture every possible sunbeam, or investing in daylight lamps to get through the darkest months.
How Finns Cope—and Thrive
Over generations, Finns have learned not just to endure the darkness, but to coexist with it through small, intentional habits:
- Light therapy lamps in homes and offices
- Vitamin D supplements as part of daily routines
- Outdoor activity encouraged year-round—even in low light
- Warm lighting, candles, and cozy interiors that soften the darkness
Vitamin D supplementation, in particular, is hard to ignore when living in Finland. I’ve personally struggled with vitamin D deficiency several times, especially during the long winter months. To help bridge that gap, I started taking a 50 microgram vitamin D supplement daily—and it’s something I continue to rely on today.
A New Kind of Gratitude
After living here, the first truly sunny spring day becomes more than just a change in weather—it feels like a celebration. Sunlight is no longer something you take for granted. You savor it. A simple walk outdoors becomes restorative, almost spiritual. That first golden afternoon can feel like a quiet rebirth.
A Northern Lesson in Light
Living in Finland doesn’t just make you notice sunlight—it teaches you to respect it. You learn to adapt to its absence, understand its rhythms, and rejoice deeply in its return.
It’s not just about surviving the dark winters. It’s about emerging from them with a deeper appreciation for light—physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. In the North, light isn’t just illumination. It’s life.