The Vikings have been trending all along for their lifestyle habits and how they learn to live life to the fullest. They are also equipped to handle everyday stressors a lot better than say their American counterparts. It's almost as if when the going gets tough they put their chin up and face problems head-on. It is one of the reasons that the Nordic countries always feature high in the happiness indexes. Let's find out how the Nordics stay happy and healthy all the time. Let's steal a page or two of their happiness journal.
Writing Things Down
Writing does not necessarily mean writing a book or something, that being said that an Icelander is more likely to write a book than not. They also believe in writing down their problems neatly. And when you write things down you are much more likely to beat stress too. It has almost a cathartic effect and you nullify the effect that bad thoughts may have on you. When you are down writing it all down on paper, scrap it and miraculously all the negative energy will go away.
Appreciate The Power of Silence and Stillness
Stress does not mean always going from one task to another to forget your stress. One of the Icelander ways of doing it is to take a deep breath relax and just do nothing. Okay, you can stare out of the window. Whether you are watching outside catching the world move on in an urban setting or in a less-than-urban setting. Just choose to relax and appreciate the silence, if Finns can do it with so much aplomb, so can you. Just feel comfortable in the silence and you'll soon master the art of not doing anything, not saying anything just enjoying the moment for what it is.
Worry Only At a Certain Time
We as a race tend to worry all the time, every time. It is also because we stay so plugged in, listening to the news all the time and what is happening around us. This constant plugged-in-feeling makes us so wired and tired. So, allow yourself to watch a piece of news only at a certain time. When that scheduled duration ends, stop worrying about it. This is what is called hygge (Danish culture) when you choose to only give time to yourself and your loved ones.
The Caffeine Fix
Scandinavians love their Fika. it's a daily routine where the Scandanavians choose to grab a cup of coffee with a warm pastry with a friend. Sweden is also one of the top countries that consumes coffee. It is said that the Swedish stay is happy because they allow to give themselves breaks from time to time. This teeny-tiny breaks with a friend over coffee and shared laughter help them forget about the stressors for a while and concentrate only on the fun aspect of it. Small pretty little bistros line the streets and people smother their worries there over a warm cup of frothy coffee! No wonder they stay so happy they forget what they were doing in their office a minute back and only, concentrate on the conversation they are happing right at the moment.
Benches in Sauna
Sauna is another place where people love to spend ample time in. There is something about the aroma of fresh birch coming from the bundle of twigs called vasta that underlines the sauna. These can also help you get smoother skin. The temperature in the sauna is set at 158°F or (70°C). These are the saunas that give warmth to the Swedish people and help them endure a harsh winter. Well, the Swedish Bravehearts also choose to plunge into an icy puddle of water after a good old sauna time. That's their way of enveloping their body with icy water and research says that there are umpteen benefits of getting a cold shower, make than an icy shower.
Now, you know the Scandinavian secrets that make them a bunch of happy people who are unfazed about the worries of life. Well, even if they get worried, they have hacks in their arsenal that helps them stay happy and healthy always. Time to call a friend and grab a cup of coffee right now!