Borrowing ideas and concepts from Nordic cultures for solving typical American problems has almost become a cottage industry in the US. You must be familiar with the Scandi design style which is marked by less stuff and more light usually. Aside from that, various sustainability initiatives taken up by Dutch entrepreneurs provided American entrepreneurs with plenty of ideas. Who hasn’t heard about the concept of forest schools which originated in Norway itself? When it comes to lifestyle concepts, there’s no dearth of Nordic concepts that have made inroads into American society. The latest of these concepts is Lagom which is a Swedish lifestyle concept you can easily embrace.
What Is Lagom?
The literal meaning of Lagom is “just enough”. Lagom lifestyle ideals touch upon all parts of life. The Swedish lifestyle is all about embracing a sense of Lagom in every aspect of living, starting from what we choose for our meals, what we put on, how we lead our lives, and even how we work.
The goal is to attain a balanced and sustainable lifestyle. If you want to enjoy your very existence, here’s how you can embrace the Lagom lifestyle and navigate your life in the right direction instead of mindless consumption.
Apply Lagom In The Community You Live In
Lagom is not only about personal lifestyle choices; you also need to involve the greater community. How can you bring people together and make sure that everybody gets the benefits of the Lagom lifestyle? The socially aware Swedish people have already figured it out. The essence of the lifestyle concept stems from the values of Swedish society and culture. The underlying idea is not to consume too much as the community you live in won’t thrive if everybody starts believing in reckless consumption. As Sweden is a welfare state, childcare, higher education, healthcare, and elderly care are guaranteed to all. But the labor force participation is also very high, and the hardworking Swedish people generate more income in the long run.
Apply Lagom At Your Workplace
Working extra hours is seen as proof of dedication to one’s job here in the USA. There is a widespread belief that if we are not overworking, we are not working just enough. In Sweden, working extra hours is perceived as proof of being inefficient. If somebody works more than 60 hours every week, they are considered bad at their respective jobs. The fundamental understanding of work is quite different, as Swedish society believes in Lagom, and the government policies also reflect the ethos of Swedish society. For applying Lagom at your workplace, you should start working efficiently, and you must stop judging your colleagues that way. Define limits for yourself and try to maintain a work-life balance. Do not spend too many hours at your office because remember, overworking means stress, and that is never good for anyone.
Apply Lagom To Improve Your Mental Health
Mental health issues are rampant among adults and kids in the US, and it causes distress, among many other negative things. The problem with Americans struggling with mental health issues is that they want to cope with stress while still trying to stay productive. The Swedish way of dealing with mental stress is to prioritize fighting it in the first place. If you can embrace the Lagom lifestyle correctly, you can fight stress even before it sets out. Instead of taking a long day off, take regular breaks from work and maintain a nice work-life balance. It’s also important for you to do exercises regularly. Take long walks, listen to your favorite music, or just hang out with your friend. Keep in mind that the Lagom mindset dislikes stress, and it works to trim down stress in the first place.
Remember that sustainability is central to the idea of Lagom. It aims to build the ability of individuals to attain a higher quality of life not just in one generation, but across the next few generations. This is why the community aspect of the Swedish lifestyle concept is so valuable. If you can live a little more ‘Lagom’ now, you can pave way for your future generations to have more sustainability in life. The pressure and stress which make our lives difficult often stem from the lifestyle choices which we cannot sustain. So, what are you waiting for?
