Lagom: 5 steps to well-being in Swedish

Although it may seem that the lagom appeared just a few days ago, in fact it was formed centuries ago. The Swedes often refer to their country as Lagomlandet, which means “Land of Lag”.

In dictionaries, this concept is most often translated as “moderation, adequacy of the situation, balance.” But this is not an accurate definition. To understand the term correctly, you need to remember the furniture of the Swedish giant IKEA. It is minimalistic and practical, comfortable and unpretentious, environmentally friendly and of high quality, without unnecessary bells and whistles and luxurious details. This is a XNUMX% lag.

If the Danish hygge sings of comfort and small pleasures, then the Swedish hygge preaches a reasonable attitude to life: when you have everything, not too much and not too little, but just right. Many researchers believe that the foundations of this tradition were laid back in the days of the Vikings. When at the festive table they passed around the goblet with a drink, it was necessary to swallow just enough so as not to offend others and so that one would have enough.

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Sociologists say that it was lagom that became the main key to Swedish well-being. Residents have a reasonable attitude to resources, do not waste money, time and effort, they have found a delicate balance between the capitalist and socialist systems. Lagom is the perfect balance between work and leisure, utility and pleasure, modesty and brightness.

But is it possible to bring lagom into your daily life if you were born and live in another country? It turns out you can. You just need to take 5 simple steps.

Step 1. Strive for moderation in everything, especially in food.

Stop loading life with unnecessary details and learn to stop in time. Here, the lag echoes the golden rule of nutrition, which says: you need to get up from the table as soon as you stop feeling hungry. Swedes usually put their own food on their plate, even at a party. It is considered bad form to divide cakes and pies into pieces: everyone cuts off a portion for himself as he wishes. Leaving food on the plate is not accepted – it means that you took more than you can eat. And this is not a lag at all.

Swedes appreciate simple, understandable foods prepared without any frills. Famous meatballs, baked fish, boiled vegetables. This country has a low level of consumption of semi-finished products. In most families, it is still customary to bake bread on their own, prepare jams and pickles for the winter.

Another purely Swedish phenomenon is fika. This is the name of the tradition every two hours to take a break from work to drink coffee. But the fic lasts no more than 15 minutes. Also very in the spirit of lagom.

Step 2. Buy quality items that will last a long time.

Contrary to popular misconception, lagom does not call for austerity. The main idea of ​​the Swedes is reasonable consumption. It is better to spend money on one “long-lasting” quality item than to buy 10 inexpensive ones that will last a month or go out of fashion in a week. Lagom opposes fast-fashion and consumerism.

Step 3. Give up ostentatious luxury and everything superfluous in general

The Swedes do not like to show wealth. A gold watch, the biggest house on the block, a luxurious supercar and a bag with a huge fashion house logo – this is not a lag. Even if you can afford it all. And of course, no one will buy any of this on credit just to throw dust in the eyes of others.

Step 4: Choose Natural

Furniture – only from natural materials, clothes – from natural fabrics. The best rest is camping in the forest to be closer to nature. Swedish women vote for natural unretouched beauty, minimal make-up in everyday life and natural beauty formulas.

Step 5: Take Care of Others and the Environment

The main source of positive emotions is not material values, but the benefits that you can bring. A high standard of living and a good environmental situation in Sweden has been achieved thanks to the “Reduce – Reuse – Recycle” rule, that is, “Reduce, reuse, recycle”.

You can start small by donating clothes you don’t wear to charities or recycling. By the way, in the shops of the Swedish brands Monki and H&M around the world, old clothes are exchanged for discount coupons. This is how brands encourage their customers to consume smarter.