Last time wrote I wrote a column with the title “Fucking traumaland”, so my focus was to draw attention to a topic that politicians and decision-makers can sometimes lose focus on when they have so many other tasks to attend to.
But if the population’s health and well-being fail, all the other tasks can seem insignificant. I intentionally used a provocative title to increase focus on the topic.
Last time wrote I wrote a column with the title “Fucking traumaland”, so my focus was to draw attention to a topic that politicians and decision-makers can sometimes lose focus on when they have so many other tasks to attend to.
But if the population’s health and well-being fail, all the other tasks can seem insignificant. I intentionally used a provocative title to increase focus on the topic.
This time I will focus on some of the measures that politicians and decision-makers can use in the fight against dissatisfaction, trauma and psychological problems.
The dark ages and the arctic cold descend on our towns and villages. For many, the weight comes with it. Some already carry invisible backpacks of trauma, grief and difficult emotions. When daylight disappears, energy and mood can drop further. Sleep is affected, and even small tasks can feel unmanageable.
Once you are hit with depression, just being told to pull yourself together rarely helps. When the battery is completely flat, even well-intentioned advice about exercise and healthy eating can feel like another task you can’t handle.
But we can draw inspiration from the Finns, who live with long, dark winters. Saunas are an important part of the Finnish lifestyle, and winter bathing is also popular. Exercise, daylight and good sleeping habits can strengthen our well-being. Saunas and cold baths can provide some people with well-being, although they are not proven cures for depression.
Wellness doesn’t have to be a luxury
It can be exercise, walks, nutritious food with fibre, vitamins and minerals or time with people we care about. Some days it may be enough to get out in the fresh air or enjoy the daylight when it appears.
But the possibilities are different. In many, smaller Greenlandic communities, access to fitness, sauna and other services is limited.
At the same time, we lack information and knowledge in Greenlandic. How does darkness affect our sleep and mood? What do exercise, diet and daylight mean for our mental health? Knowledge is essential if we are to prevent dissatisfaction. That is why we need more information campaigns, easy-to-understand information and public debate in Greenlandic, so that everyone has better opportunities to look after themselves and each other.
We cannot remove the darkness and wellness does not solve all our problems. But we can create better opportunities to get through the winter.
– Wellness starts with meeting oneself with gentleness. Let’s break the taboos, share our knowledge and help each other through the darkness.
