Adopt the Lagom Swedish Lifestyle to Reduce Stress and Lead a More Moderate Lifestyle.
Nowadays, finding solutions to American problems with a Nordic look is practically a cottage industry. Between Scando design principles (more light, less stuff); sustainable development initiatives (the Netherlands figured out how to feed us all ); education (Norwegian forest schools , whoever?); and health (Finland invests inpublic saunas ), there is something to love for. (And if you’re as tall, plumper a woman as I am, I implore you to check out Swedish fashion; comfortable, flamboyant, and proportionately smarter than American brands.)
And then there are lifestyle concepts. First there was the Hygge, who sold ten thousand beeswax candles and fluffy blankets, as Americans were comfortable Danish; then there was the lesser-known Freeluftsliv – literally translated from Norwegian means “free life in the air” and equates to a cultural commitment to nature lovers. And now we have a lag.
Lagom’s golden ideals, meaning “not too much, not too little” or “enough,” encompass all aspects of life, not just design, food or celebrations. Sweden is a lagoma country and, as Anna Brones writes in her new book Live Lagom: Balanced Living in Swedish , “applying the feeling of lagom to our daily life is in what we eat, what we wear, how we live, how we work – it can be a ploy to adopt a more balanced, sustainable lifestyle that embraces the pleasures of existence rather than consumption. “
Read on to find out how this Swedish concept can serve as a way to navigate life – wherever you are on the planet.
In your community (or government)
It’s important to note that lagom isn’t just personal. Part of the way it is understood in his home country has to do with a large community – which many of us think more about these days. How can we unite people and make sure that there is enough for everyone?
Well-known, public-minded Swedes have thought it through, and lagom is part of their answer: “Swedish culture is largely based on the common good,” Brones told Lifehacker. “I think the essence of lagom in Swedish culture comes a lot from the ideals of community and social well-being, the idea that I don’t take too much because then my community won’t thrive.”
In other words, lagom – the idea that no one has too much and no one has too little (but everyone has a lagom amount of wealth – enough) – touches the very heart of the Swedish welfare state. Childcare, college education, health care, and elderly care are guaranteed to all citizens, leveling the playing field and ensuring no one gets left too far behind. These initiatives seem costly, but they pay off in greater labor force participation (over 80 percent of Swedish women work, compared to 58 percent of American women) and a healthy, well-educated population that generates more income and costs less. in the long run.
At work
In the US, we view overtime as proof of commitment and dedication to both our bosses and our personal career goals. If we don’t work too much, then we don’t work enough; a common attitude that results in most workers not even taking the meager minimum vacation days that American workers receive.
In Sweden, however, work beyond normal working hours is considered ineffective – you must do your job poorly if you have to work more than 60 hours a week, or you cannot take the five-week leave that the average Swedish worker gets. (Meanwhile, Sweden’s gross domestic product per capita is ranked 11th in the world ; for all our overwork, the United States is just a couple of steps higher, at 8th.)
It’s interesting to think about how social networking devices can really change the way we think about the world, and this is where lagom can come in handy. Changing our fundamental understanding of work as a society can have far-reaching implications – right up to the top: “Since Swedish society primarily operates on [Lagom], it is easier to implement government policies that maintain work-life balance. and actively supported, ” said Lola Akinmade Åkerström , a Stockholm-based photographer represented by National Geographic Creative and author of LAGOM: The Swedish Secret of a Good Life . “Think about it – anything that can reduce stress like adequate planning, consensus, brevity, fairness, flat work structure, etc. is often synonymous with Swedish business culture.”
Incorporating lagom into your work life can take many different forms: if you know you are spending too much time working, remember that in lagom thinking it means you are ineffective at your job. You? If so, change your mindset first – more time in the office doesn’t mean you are “better” at your job – and just as important, don’t judge other people that way. If you really have more work than you can get done in 40 hours a week, talk to your boss about it. If you are self-employed, are you working too hard to earn a little more? Can you live for less?
And if you tend to be your own worst enemy in terms of overwork, set yourself limits on the number of hours you spend, making sure you leave the office at a specific time on most days. Make plans (class, dinner with friends, date with your dog to have a good time in the park) to find work-life balance. Of course, taking advantage of all the vacation you owe, as well as the annual use of all sick days, will help you live a full life in both real and professional life. Consider taking a step further – what if you took a week of unpaid leave on top of your regular vacation?
Mental health
Both adults and adolescents in the United States suffer from stress-related mental health problems, and this has far-reaching consequences, including decreased productivity and less happiness than our income suggests, all of which can also affect our physical health. Ockerström notes that in the US we “fight stress by trying to be productive”, but there is another way to solve this problem – the Swedes “put stress first and foremost in order to be productive”.
Dealing with stress before it starts means that you don’t wait to get sick to take the day off – you schedule regular breaks and take them in line with the work-life balance ideas outlined above. Why not take an afternoon off to see your doctor when you’re sick, but instead wake up late and get a brunch and massage when you’re feeling good? It also means exercising regularly (not intrusive, because that doesn’t lag either; think long walks, listening to podcasts, or chatting with a friend); make yourself a healthy dinner just because; or watch a local play, comedy or music show.
“Lagom thinking doesn’t like stress, so it actively works to reduce stress in the first place,” said Ockerström. “Imagine that we all have internal scales inside. Too much or too little is stressful, so the lagom tries to balance that scale within us, ”she said. Think about where your life is out of balance and what might bring it into alignment.
Family life
Swedish design has already had a huge impact on home decor in the US and around the world; This light and vibrant aesthetic made from wood and natural materials is attractive and inexpensive, and IKEA is the flagship. But according to experts, lagom is more than just the look of a house. Things must have either “functional value or deeply sentimental value,” explains Ockerström, adding that anything outside these categories is redundant. “A lagomous house is one in which people live and use it. It is a cozy, comfortable, welcoming space where you feel good, ”said Brones.
So it’s not so much about the style of your decoration as about the overall feel of your home. If Swedish design isn’t your cup of tea, you can still have a lagom-style living room: “Lagom and the American idea of moderation are very similar,” Brones said. “I think the difference is that in the US, moderation is often viewed as a bad thing; if we think about moderation, we think about what we need to get rid of. But there is also a more positive aspect to lagom. “
A lagomous way to decorate is not to fill a new room with items bought right away when you move, but to slowly add it over time – or maybe leave some spaces open and empty. Instead of getting rid of things, what if you never bought it to begin with? If you really want to get rid of the clutter, lagom can be a way to change your mindset from “I need to get rid of this” to “I look forward to having more room in my living room to dance and dance.”
Sustainability
At the heart of lagom is the true meaning of sustainability – the ability to maintain a high quality of life for all generations, not just a few years during a boom followed by long recessions, as we have all experienced over the past 20 years. years. This is why the community idea aspect is so important. “If we all live a little more lag now, it will ensure that a lot more people can live in a lag in the future,” says Brones. “So instead of living as wide as we can, we shrink a little to improve society and future generations. I think that in the US we tend to treat things on the “be big or go home” principle, and lagom is the exact opposite of that. “
All aspects of lagom come together here. Less work means less stress, which will likely lead to more happiness and less need for retail therapy – easier with our planet’s limited resources – which will lead to more time with friends, family, traveling, or whatever. what makes your heart sing.
If, as Åkerström put it, “the undue pressure comes from trying to maintain a lifestyle that we cannot handle,” then lagom life can work as a whole to improve life in general.
Maybe it’s a totally insane new cycle we’re in right now, or maybe we’ve just reached Peak Info in general, but almost everyone I know is looking for ways to find balance in their lives. Lagom can be a simple and legal way to test yourself and the people around you to stay sane and healthy in all aspects of life.