Winter in Germany: How I Found Light in the Dark

In India, winter mornings meant soft sunlight by 6 AM and streets alive with the rhythm of chai stalls. In Germany, my first December felt like stepping into a silent, endless night. The sun wouldn’t rise until after 8 AM, and by 4 PM, darkness reclaimed the sky. My body—accustomed to tropical dawns—rebelled. My eyes craved light; my mind felt heavy and disoriented.

I’d read about seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but living it was different. Colleagues warned me about the Winter blues—a cultural shorthand for the collective slump. My son’s mornings became a battleground: tears over winter coats, protests about Kita, and a shared exhaustion neither of us could articulate. I guess the poor kid could not figure out why he had to lose his precious sleep to a bright LED lamp.

I tried the advice: light therapy lamps, vitamin D supplements, and even forcing myself to join group activities. But nothing stuck. The darkness felt like a weight, and I resented the constant gray.

The tips from articles and Instagram reels—‘Join a club! Take up skiing!’—left me feeling like a UFO alien failing ‘How to Human 101’.

I missed Bangalore’s sunlit mornings, where life began with warmth instead of layers of scarves and gritted teeth.

Then, one evening, I made a quiet decision. I stopped fighting the rhythm of German winter and started adapting to it. I began going to bed at 9 PM with my son, trading late-night scrolling for rest. At 4:30 AM, I’d wake—not to an alarm, but to silence. Those two hours became mine: time to write, move my body, drink caffeine, and breathe.

Slowly, the darkness transformed. Mornings were no longer a race against my son’s tears but a space for calm. I started walking during lunch breaks, even in freezing temperatures, to feel the weak winter sun on my face. And when the 7 AM darkness felt oppressive, I’d remind myself: this is temporary.

Winter here might feel endless, but spring always wins. And until then? More Schokolade, fewer regrets.

Today, when I took the photo for this post at 7 AM, I realized something had shifted. The same inky sky that once felt suffocating now felt peaceful. I felt like I’d won the Winter Olympics. It was a cruel reminder that resilience isn’t about battling the world but reshaping your place in it.

So, here’s the truth no one tells you: surviving German winters isn’t about fighting the dark. It’s about stealing back the light—one absurdly early sunrise at a time.