3 Scandinavian Practices that are improving my life
Lessons in living from Scandinavia
Scandinavia is having a big impact on the world culturally at the moment (just as they did many centuries ago when the Vikings spread around the world). Books are springing up about such concepts as Hygge, Lagom, Fika, and so on.
I have found that there are three particular practices from Scandinavia that I have been applying in my life and I am seeing improvements because of it, and I wanted to share them with you - Friluftsliv, Hygge, and Lördagsgodis.
1) Friluftsliv
There is a bit of a movement going on around the internet recently which recommends setting a “word for the year”. This year I decided to adopt this practice and when I thought about what I want this year to be about for me, the word that summed it up for me is Friluftsliv.
This is a Norwegian word that means “the outdoor life”. Scandinavians are well known for their love of nature and they spend a lot of time outdoors. I think we can all learn from this and it will benefit our lives greatly - improving our physical health but also our mental health and happiness too.
Friluftsliv is about spending as much time outside as possible, choosing hobbies that are outdoors, eating meals outdoors, and so on. Many Scandinavians spend at least one day a week getting outdoors into Nature, and many have summer homes in remote places that they can go and stay in during their annual leave.
I already try to do a daily walk, but I am also trying to add more outdoor activities to my life. For me, this starts with making every Saturday into a “get out into Nature day”. Whether this is for a walk around a nature reserve, a hike in a forest, or even camping, I am trying to make this a weekly habit. I’m making a list of local nature reserves and I have got a book on local walking routes which I am using. I also intend to book an overnight camping trip once a month through the summer months and hopefully eat some meals outside at least once a week once the weather warms up.
2) Lördagsgodis
This Swedish word means “Saturday Sweets” and is a cultural phenomenon that started just after the second-world-war in Sweden. Basically, the idea is that you have sweets every Saturday but not at any other times of the week. This has meant Swedish kids grow up with pretty decent dental health compared to many other Western nations.
It is a great tool in the arsenal for any parent in order to reduce the consumption of sugar by their children - if the children ask for sweets, the parent can just say it’s not Saturday yet. The flip side of this of course, is that when Saturday comes, it’s important to make buying them sweets a big and enjoyable tradition so that it becomes a habit they want to continue when they are older too.
The reason it appeals to me is as a sustainable habit to help me be healthier. I am a vegan so I already eat a pretty healthy diet and almost always get at least 5 fruits/veg a day. But I have a problem with junk food. I will often choose to eat junk food for my evening meal instead of proper food because it’s more convenient. This is not only an expensive way of doing things but it’s got me to the point of obesity. I am addicted to sugary things.
Now I could go on a diet but the problem with diets is that they only last a short time and ultimately it is very easy to fall off them. When they do finish, you may have lost lots of weight but you then go back to bad habits again and put the weight back on (plus some). This isn’t sustainable and it has a detrimental impact on the body’s metabolism and muscle strength. Ultimately, being at a healthy weight means eating healthy forever, not just for some short-term diet. It has to be a lifestyle, a lifelong practice that can work for you.
But, equally being overly restrictive also doesn’t work for many people (including myself). I cannot just give up sweet foods for life - that would be too much. The key then is to find a moderate balance, adopting healthy habits but that let me not feel completely restricted. The answer I think lies in this Swedish concept of Lördagsgodis.
Since adopting this practice late last year, I have been finding myself losing weight and not feeling deprived. The rule I am adopting is - no sweets, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, cakes, or pastry, except on Saturdays. And then on Saturday’s I am allowed to eat as much of them as I want. The reality I am finding is that I don’t actually go overboard on Saturdays either. I am forced to cook more evening meals if I don’t want to go hungry, and I am finding that if I am in a shop on a normal weekday it is much easier to resist buying junk food because I can simply say to myself, “you can have that on Saturday”. I don’t have to wait too long before I can enjoy it, and it is a boost to my willpower in the moment.
This practice may not work for everyone, but I am finding it’s a game-changer for me because while I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, my addiction to junk food is the single biggest thing undermining my health and which I have struggled to find an answer to. Now I think I have one and it seems to be working for me.
3) Hygge
We have already talked about this in previous posts so feel free to also check those out. Hygge is a Danish word that means something like “cosiness and togetherness”. The Danes are the happiest people in the world, despite the fact they have long cold winters. A lot of this is put down to this concept of Hygge.
There is a lot to Hygge, but the way I have adopted this into my life is through trying to make my home more cosy. I enjoy the evenings in Autumn and Winter by lighting candles, having fairy lights up, and keeping other lights low and warm. I use scented candles or essential oils to create a nice smell and put on calming music. I have invested in more pillows, throws, rugs, and cosy bedding to make things really comfortable. And I bring bits of nature into my home to decorate.
Trying to have a more cosy home has made me look forward to the dark evenings of autumn and winter instead of dreading them. I feel warm and happy in the cosy, relaxing atmosphere I create each evening. These are small things but they make such a difference to my experience of the day-to-day.
So these are three practices from Scandinavia that are helping me to enjoy life more, and live a more healthy life too. I highly recommend adopting them into your life and seeing the difference they can make.