Today the sun shines less than 8 hours, in the summer it is around 4 to 5 pm. And then there is also a difference in the amount of daylight in the north and south of the Netherlands. “In Maastricht it is light 25 minutes longer than in Leeuwarden”, says Thomas Vermeulen of Buienradar.
In terms of hours of sunshine, it was certainly not over this month. Normally there are an average of 49 hours of sunshine in December, this year we have only had 28 hours. “It’s pretty bleak,” says Vermeulen.
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According to him, it will remain gloomy towards Christmas. “It will remain gray and rainy this week. Maybe we’ll see the sun a bit on Thursday. And Friday, on Christmas day, we should be able to do that anyway.”
Countdown
But the thought that the days are getting longer from now on makes people feel positive, says psychologist Najla Edriouch against RTL News. “Of course it is not the case that when you wake up tomorrow, that many hours of light have been added. But it always works positively when you have something to look forward to. You can tell yourself: the countdown has started.”
Several hundred thousand people in the Netherlands actually suffer from a winter dip. “For people who are sensitive to this, it is really necessary to go outside, to actively search for daylight. It starts as early as autumn, when the days are getting darker.”
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Exposure to daylight is essential for ‘winter dippers’. “They really have to do their best to catch the sunlight that is out there, to get in a good mood. Going out in the morning when the sun is strongest. Or when you are at work, really get into you. lunch break outside. “
Lockdown
Light therapy is also widely used to combat gloominess. There are many people who have good experiences with this, says Edriouch.
Now that we are in a lockdown, according to Edriouch things are a bit disappointing for some. “The lockdown keeps people in, and that can perpetuate a winter slump. It is important, even though you don’t feel like it, to keep doing activities and to have social contact. But the lockdown makes that more difficult. . “
Whatever happens, the days are getting longer and longer. Until June 21, the day we have the most hours of sunshine. That is the longest day of 2021.
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See also: this lamp ensures a better night’s sleep and a better mood
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