Every year, the Language Council, Språkrådet – a department within the Institute of Language and Folklore, publishes a list of new words that have entered the Swedish language and is being actively used by the general public. Just like last year, the majority of the words on this year’s list are related to the pandemic.
Here are some of the words that have been introduced:
Coronabubbla
Translation: Corona bubble
Conditions where contact with outsiders is restricted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
Coronahund
Translation: Corona dog
Dog acquired as a pet during the corona pandemic
Domedagsskrollande
Translation: Doomsday scrolling
Excessive consumption of media reporting with a negative content
Fono
Fear of normality
Gangfluencer
A person who is part of a criminal network and uses social media to show off their lifestyle
Generation Corona
Group of young people whose health, relationships, education or situation in the labor market are affected by the corona pandemic
Hybridmöte
Translation: Hybrid meeting
Meeting where participants can participate both physically and digitally
Kryptokonst
Translation: Crypto art
Digital art where authenticity is documented through a unique code
Maskne
Pimples and other skin problems caused by wearing a mouth guard or visor
Metaversum
A virtual reality where digital technology makes it possible to experience things that today require physical presence
Snällvägg
Translation: Wall of Kindness
A place where people can give away clothes, for example
Spökkök
Translation: Ghost kitchen
A restaurant where the menu is offered only for pick-up or drop-off
Zoomtrötthet
Translation:Zoom exhaustion
Mental exhaustion that occurs as a result of many video encounters
Kungliga slottet den 15 september 2013. Stockholms stads hyllningar och firande på Lejonbacken med anledning av "Kungen 40 år som statschef". Kungaparet.
The Scandinavian monarchies are among the oldest in the world. In fact, the Norwegian monarchy dating as far back as 885 AD.
But apart from being some of the longest-standing monarchies in the world, the Scandinavian royal families are also among the richest royals in Europe. And while the British royal family with Queen Elizabeth at its spear, holds the top spot as wealthiest monarchs in Europe, let’s take a look at her Scandinavian counterparts.
Featured image: Alexis Daflos, The Royal Court, Sweden
Norway
You’d think that being the monarch of one of the richest countries in the world, King Harald and his wife Queen Sonja would top the list as the wealthiest royals in Scandinavia. But with an estimated net worth of around 30 million USD, which is still a whole lot of dough, the Norwegian Royal family are in fact the least wealthy royals in Scandinavia.
Queen Margrethe is the main figure of the Danish Royal family. The beloved Queen has been on the Danish throne since 1972. She is closely related to Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and a distant relative to the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Coming in at the top as the richest royal family in Scandinavia is the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, who is reportedly worth a staggering 70 million USD.
As a part of the King’s private estate, you will find the family’s summer residence, Solliden palace, which is located on the island Öland in Sweden.
Birka, Sweden. Ten years ago, archaeologists and historians found the remains of what seemed to be a fierce warrior in the Viking Age town, Birka, in Sweden. Buried together with two horses and war equipment, the warrior was originally thought to have been a man because of the items found in the grave.
Turns out archeologists assumed incorrectly.
Recent osteology and DNA-tests show that the remains belonged to a female:
“It’s actually a woman, somewhere over the age of 30 and fairly tall, too, measuring around 5″6,” archaeologist Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson of Uppsala University, told The Local. The findings were made during a study, which is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
The woman was buried in the mid-10th century together with several deadly weapons and two horses.
“Aside from the complete warrior equipment buried along with her — a sword, an ax, a spear, armor-piercing arrows, a battle knife, shields, and two horses — she had a board game in her lap, or more of a war-planning game used to try out battle tactics and strategies, which indicates she was a powerful military leader,” Hedenstierna-Jonson said and added, “She has most likely planned, led and taken part in battles.”.
This is how the grave could have looked like. Illustration by Evald Hansen based on Hjalmar Stolpe’s excavations at Birka in the 19th century (Stolpe 1889).
The grave where the woman was found was discovered and excavated by Hjalmar Stolpe, a Swedish archeologist, at the end of the 19th century. Hedenstierna-Jonson described the grave as being “the ultimate warrior Viking grave”. The belongings found in the grave were presumed to belong to a man simply because of their “manly” nature. But when Anna Kjellström, an osteologist at Stockholms University, had a look at the remains a few years ago – she noticed something interesting. The cheekbones were thinner and much finer than what the remains of a man would be, and the hip bones were feminine.
After an osteological and DNA-analysis, it was confirmed, the remains belonged to a woman.
“This image of the male warrior in a patriarchal society was reinforced by research traditions and contemporary preconceptions. Hence, the biological sex of the individual was taken for granted,” Hedenstierna-Jonson, Kjellström and the eight other researchers behind the study, noted in the report.
Hedenstierna-Jonson described it as a fantastic find but said it is unlikely to completely up-end historians’ view of the Viking society as being patriarchal, mainly constituting of male warriors. “It was probably quite unusual [for a woman to be a military leader], but in this case, it probably had more to do with her role in society and the family she was from than her gender,” Hedenstierna-Jonson told the Local.
We can only wonder about the exciting life of this woman, and how many more, similar to her, existed during the Viking Era.
Den 1a Januari år 2019 så trädde någonting i kraft som skulle komma att ändra hur exakt alla svenska casinon drivs – den svenska spelregleringen. Sedan dess har denna reglering fått sig en hel del uppdateringar. Under en viss period så fick inte casinon erbjuda bonusar på över 100 kronor.
En annan period har inte casinon fått ha några kampanjer och erbjudanden alls. I denna artikel tar vi oss en närmare titt på hur regleringen har uppdaterats med tiden och hur det påverkar dig som spelare i slutändan, samt allt du behöver tänka på kring spelregleringar innan du sätter igång och spelar.
Varför behövs en casinolicens?
Något man brukar säga i casinoindustrin är att en bra spelsajt är ett casino som har en bra spellicens. Det finns många anledningar till att välja ett casino som har en casinolicens. Först och främst så handlar det om säkerhet för spelarna. Det finns många sätt för ett casino att påverka spel och resultat om inte det finns någon slags kontroll. Så för att det inte ska vara en vilda västern i casinoindustrin så har det länge funnits diverse casinolicenser som casinon får ansöka om för att bedriva spel i vissa regioner.
Under en väldigt lång tid så var det främst licenser utfärdade i Malta och Curacao som onlinecasinon använde sig av. Detta stämde ända fram tills vi valde att slopa det här med spelmonopolet i Svea Rike
Detta var ett monopol som vi haft väldigt väldigt länge, och vi hade det ända fram tills att vi fick vår svenska spellicens. Innan det, så fick man bege sig till ett av sveriges 4 och enda landbaserade casinon för att spela. Samtidigt fanns det tusentals onlinecasinon som erbjöd sina tjänster i Sverige. Då Sveriges regering inte alls hade kontroll över dessa onlínecasinon beslöt sig till slut regeringen för att implementera en egen licens.
För att ett casino ska få bedriva sin verksamhet i Sverige så måste alltså ett casino idag ansöka om en svensk spellicens.
Är det olagligt att spela på ett casino utan svensk licens?
Det är fullt lagligt för dig som svensk casinospelare att registera dig på vilket casino du vill – vare sig om de har en svensk licens eller inte. Det du offrar när du gör detta är viss säkerhet beroende på vad för andra licenser som casinot har. Dessutom förlorar du möjligheten till att kunna spela helt utan konto – alltså med BankID, då de flesta operatörer utomlands inte har detta alternativ.
En annan sak man kan se skillnad på mellan ett svenskt och utländskt casino är när det kommer till registreringen. På svenska casinon måste gränser sättas upp av spelaren innan spelaren börjar spela. Detta är något du inte behöver göra när du registrerar dig på ett utländskt casino.
Länge fick svenska casinon endast erbjuda en endaste bonus för ett maxvärde på 100 kronor. Hela casinosverige trodde att casinon börjat snåla med sina välkomstbonusar – som ofta kan inkludera flera tio tusentals kronor. Men så var det inte. Dessutom märkte svenska spelare av en väldigt tom kampanjkalender då svenska casinon inte fick erbjuda någon annan typ av bonus.
Allt det här är något som du kringgår helt som spelare när du väljer att spela på ett utländskt casino. Men innan du tar det beslutet – säkra dig om att det utländska casinot du valt faktiskt har en spellicens i något annat land. Annars riskerar du att spela på ett casino med piratkopierade spel – som oftast är väldigt är ganska orättvisa mot spelaren.
Om ett casino har spellicens från exempelvis Malta eller Curacao, så kan du känna dig helt säker som spelare att allt går rätt till, att casinot är hårt kontrollerat och att du alltid har rättvisa spel tillgängliga. Information om ett casinos spellicens hittar man allra oftast i sidfoten på hemsidan hos casinot.
Skulle du känna dig osäker när du letar denna information så kan du höra av dig till supporten hos casinot som du har valt. På så vis får du även testa på hur en sådan kontakt skulle fungera när du väl beslutar dig för att bli spelare hos det casinot.
Florence Wetzel is an American author who fell in love with Sweden and Scandinavian literature during her travels to Sweden. She has written the Nordic Noir booksThe Grand Man and The Woman Who Went Overboard, and she has just released Annika’s Storage Space: Thirteen Sinister Stories. She originally wrote the book in Swedish as Annika’s förråd: En ondskefull novellsamling and then translated it into English
In Swedes in the States opinion column, Florence shares her experience living between the United States and Sweden, giving us an American perspective into what bilingual life looks like.
Since I started studying Swedish in January 2014, I have been living a bilingual life. I am an American who spends part of the year in Sweden and part of the year in English-speaking countries, namely the United States, Great Britain, and Ireland. When I’m in the latter countries, Swedish rarely pops up of its own accord, so I have to make an effort to weave the language into my life.
I’ve had a lot of contact with Swedes who live abroad, and I know that they have a similar issue. They speak English with their family, friends, and workmates, which means they only use Swedish when talking to someone back home. The difference between these ex-pat Swedes and me is that Swedish is their mother tongue, so the language is hardwired into their brains and will never disappear entirely. English is of course my native tongue, so I need to work hard to keep my Swedish alive.
But even when I’m in Sweden, I still have to make an effort to speak Swedish. This may sound strange to Americans who complain, for instance, that the French refuse to speak English. My advice to them? Go to Sweden! Americans never have trouble there because Swedes are always willing to practice their English.
This can be a problem, however, if you’re trying to learn Swedish. When I go into a café in Stockholm and order fika in my American-accented Swedish, the barista’s eyes immediately light up: Aha, a real-life American! They usually answer in English, partly to be helpful, partly to practice a little themselves. I’ve learned to gently say, “I need to talk as much Swedish as possible, can we switch back?” They always agree, and I can definitely say that Stockholm’s baristas have been among my most important teachers.
It also helps that Swedes enjoy Americans. It’s a unique experience to be appreciated for my nationality, especially since I grew up in New Jersey. All my life I’ve heard people make jokes about my state, including the classic “You’re from New Jersey? Which exit?” And let’s not forget New Jersey’s nickname, “The Armpit of America.” But no one ever makes fun of New Jersey in Sweden! I sometimes use my driver’s license as an ID, and I’ll always remember when a clerk at Hemköp said, “New Jersey! Cool.” Definitely the first time I had ever heard those words.
I’ve since learned that when Swedes ask where I’m from, it’s helpful to say, “New Jersey. You know, Tony Soprano and Bruce Springsteen.” This always gets a smile because these aspects of American culture are woven into their lives as well. It’s a win-win: Swedes enjoy meeting an authentic Jersey girl, and I enjoy being seen in a positive light.
Another challenge with speaking Swedish in Sweden is that it takes many years to become fluent. But if you wait for your Swedish to be perfect before speaking to a real-life Swede, you’re going to wait a very long time. Early on in my studies, a teacher at Folkuniversitetet gave our class important advice: Våga att prata! (Dare to talk!) She said it was inevitable that we were going to make mistakes, so we just had to accept that and go ahead anyway.
There’s one caveat to this advice: if you’re going to dare to talk, you need a sense of humor. Such as the time I said to my friend Johannes: Jag stod länge i kö (I stood in line a long time). At least that’s what I thought I said. What I actually said was: Jag stod länge på kon (I stood on the cow a long time). Johannes had a good laugh over that, and I did as well. It’s best not to take your mistakes too seriously, and to instead use them as an opportunity to sharpen your Swedish.
After eight years of studying intensively and making literally thousands of mistakes, I’m publishing my first book in Swedish, Annikas förråd: En ondskefull novellsamling. I wrote the book in Swedish and then translated it into English as Annika’s Storage Space: Thirteen Sinister Stories. The lessons I’ve learned while studying Swedish have been helpful when writing in Swedish: I accept that my language skills aren’t perfect but I dare to go ahead anyway, and I keep a steady grasp on my sense of humor.
My life is now a delightful mix of Swedish and English. The two languages complement and inform each other all the time, and it makes life richer on so many levels. I still stand on the occasional cow, but I always jump off as quickly as I can.
The idea of allocating flowers to Sweden’s provinces began in 1908. It was the brainchild of August Wickström and Paul Petter Waldenström. However, the pair could not always agree on which flower should represent each province, so some provinces still have two official provincial flowers.
Let’s take a look at the provincial flowers for each of Sweden’s twenty-five provinces.
The Provincial Flower of Bohuslän
As of 2021, Sweden has a national flower. Swedes nationwide voted to make the beautiful bluebell bellflower its national floral symbol.
But even before the national flower was introduced, each province in Sweden had a provincial flower, just like each state in the U.S. is represented by a different flower.
For instance, the sego lily is the official state flower of Utah. So, if you’re using flower delivery Salt Lake City to send a gift to a local friend, a bouquet of lilies could be the ideal choice.
On the other hand, if you’re in the Swedish province of Bohuslän, you may wish to give honeysuckle as a gift, because the yellowy flower is the provincial flower.
Locally, honeysuckle is known as ‘vildkaprifol’.
The Provincial Flower of Gotland
The greenish-yellow flower of English Ivy’s nectar is the official provincial flower of Gotland.
Known locally as murgröna, the berries and leaves of English Ivy were often used in olden times in Sweden for medicinal use.
The Provincial Flower of Lappland
The alpine plant known as fjällsippa belongs to the Rosaceae family, but unlike other flowers in the family, the fjällsippa has eight or more petals instead of five. The creamy white petals of the fjällsippa surround a vibrant yellow, making them incredibly charming.
In Lappland and other provinces of Sweden, you can find the flower growing naturally in dry areas, particularly on rocky terrain.
Despite its name of snake’s head, the kungsängslilja, as it’s known in Swedish, is a beautiful flower that has a checkered pattern in shades of purple and sometimes white.
The flower blossoms in late spring and can be widely found in King’s meadow in Uppsala.
The provincial flower of Västmanland, which is known as ‘mistel’ in Swedish, produces lovely white berries and small yellow-green flowers.
The Other Provincial Flowers of Sweden
Now that we’ve started to explore the subject of Sweden’s provincial flowers, you’re sure to want to know what the official flowers are for the other provinces in the country.
So, here’s a rundown of the provincial flowers we haven’t yet covered:
The province of Ångermanland: Heartsease.
The province of Blekinge: English oak and mullein.
The province of Dalarna: Spreading bellflower and harebell.
The province of Dalsland: Water forget-me-not.
The province of Gästrikland: Lily of the valley.
The province of Halland: Hairy greenweed.
The province of Hälsingland: The flax plant.
The province of Härjedalen: Spring pasqueflower.
The province of Jämtland: Brunkulla.
The province of Medelpad: Norway spruce and the globe-flower.
The province of Norbotten: Arctic raspberry.
The province of Närke: Cowslip.
The province of Öland: Ölandssolvända.
The province of Östergötland: Bluebottle.
The province of Skåne: Common daisy.
The province of Småland: Twinflower.
The province of Södermanland: European white waterlily.
Efter år av restriktioner kliar det i benen på miljontals globetrotters världen över. Därför passar vi på att tipsa om några olika resmål att redan nu ta sikte på när läget tillåter. Rekommendationerna är av olika sorter så att du kan drömma dig bort till dit du längtar efter just nu.
Resmål #1: Las Vegas för festprissen
Sugen på en natt olika alla andra? Då är syndernas stad (där allt som händer där också stannar där) ett lysande alternativ med läckra neonskyltar, casinon, festlokaler, konserter, lyxrestauranger och Elvis-bröllop. Den som ska se vad fru Fortuna har i given kan göra rätt i att värma upp sina spelkunskaper på ett digitalt casino först, för avsevärt lägre insatser. Jämförelsesajten Casinofeber har sammanställt flera goda alternativ för den nyfikne.
Den som har turen med sig får även chansen till att spana in några av de världsstjärnor som frekvent uppträder i stadens luxuösa lokaler. Dessutom, varför inte kombinera Las Vegas med en tur till Los Angeles eller Grand Canyon? Båda destinationerna ligger nära till hands.
Resmål #2: Baden-Baden för livsnjutaren
Redan de gamla grekerna visste vilka unika kvaliteter den sydtyska orten, där nu staden Baden-Baden ligger, bestod av. Belägen intill Schwarzwaldskogen, med slående naturomgivning och underbart frisk luft, är Baden-Baden en av världens mest omtalade kurorter. Under åren har många gästat bygden för dess helande kraft, däribland kompositören Johannes Brahms, skådespelarikonen Marlene Dietrich och den ryske författaren Fjodor Dostojevskij. Staden är även utsedd till ett världsarv av UNESCO.
Här finns flera olika spaanläggningar, men det mest klassiska är givetvis Baden-Badens kurhus, som upprättades 1824. Ett perfekt resmål för livsnjutaren eller den som bara vill skämma bort sig själv för en stund.
Resmål #3: Belgien för öl-konnässören
Märkligt nog pratas det rätt sällan om belgisk öl utanför de inbitna kretsarna, i stället är den tjeckiska i fokus. Men efter den stora IPA-vågen börjar allt fler att upptäcka eller återupptäcka det flytandet guldet från Belgien. Med en anrik tradition, som fortfarande uppehålls i flera av landets många kloster, finns det trappistbryggerier som använder sig av en unik jästkultur de har uppehållet i hundratals år.
Den som vill uppleva världens bästa öl, serverad precis som den ska serveras och därtill besöka några av historiens mest utmärkande bryggerier bör ta sikte på en mat och dryck-resa i Belgien.
Resmål #4: Nya Zeeland för äventyraren
Det sista resmålet på listan är ett avlägset sådant, men som många av oss länge har funderat på att besöka – nämligen Nya Zeeland, skådeplatsen för Peter Jacksons otroliga Sagan om ringen-filmatisering. Här finns mycket att hämta för äventyraren med sagolika miljöer, perfekta för långa hajker, berg att bestiga, världsberömd bungyjump och ett hav med ett ovanligt rikt djurliv – perfekt för den som gillar att dyka, eller vill passa på att ta ett dykarcertifikat.
Med dessa fyra tips hoppas vi att du hittar något som passar dig utmärkt när läget väl tillåter.
The two Scandinavians that Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) beat in poker, effectively getting himself and Fabrizio aboard the RMS Titanic with third-class tickets?
This brief scene in the James Cameron blockbuster actually gives a fairly accurate representation of the ship’s passenger list. You see, after American and British passengers, Swedes were the largest population onboard, followed by Finns, Norwegians, and Danes. In fact, Swedish was the second most spoken language on the ship.
To many, contemporary Sweden is an attractive country to live in, with the world’s cleanest water and sanitary conditions, affordable health care, free tuition for everyone from primary to graduate school, long life expectancy, freedom of speech, a well function democracy, low corruption and good economic opportunities for almost everyone (according to World Economic Forum). But go back a few hundred years, and you will find that many Swedes fled poverty and hardship to seek a better life across the Atlantic.
Rising poverty levels and failing crops during the 19th century sparked an intense migration wave. Almost a million Swedes migrated to the United States before the flow subsided in the 1930s, most of them settling in the Midwest; Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
An ad in a Swedish newspaper “Helsingen” promoting migration to America.
Swedish immigrants in the Midwest
Chicago was at one point the home of the second largest Swedish-born population, the only city with a larger population being the Swedish capital, Stockholm. You might, for instance, have heard of Chicago’s Andersonville (Andersson is one of the most common surnames in Sweden)? Chicago is not the only American city with a significant population of Swedish ancestry; Nebraska also has a decent amount of Swedish-Americans.
Of the 231 Nordic passengers on the Titanic, 123 were Swedes, and 121 of them traveled with third-class tickets. For 89 of those Swedes, the pursuit of the American dream ended abruptly in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic early in the morning on the 12 of April 1912.
This article was originally published on July 26, 2018.
If you’re a Swede in America, you’ve definitely heard your fair share of comments and misconceptions about Sweden, which probably just makes you want to bury your face in your hands and cry (but you don’t, ’cause you’re Swedish).
We’ve compiled a list of 11 things that every Swede in the U.S. hears on a regular basis. Let us know if we forgot something!
1. You’re not blond. Are you really Swedish?
If you happen to be Swedish and have another hair color other than blonde (naturally or not), you’ve definitely heard this comment. Or some variation of “aren’t all Swedish people blonde?” But just like Americans, we don’t all have the same hair and eye color. Although many might be born with light hair, it turns darker, to a color we Swedes like to call “råttfärgat” (translates into rat-colored or raw-colored). So yes, most blondes dye their hair, even in Sweden.
credit: spiralday/imgur.com
2. Why are you cold? Aren’t you supposed to be a Viking?
Newsflash people: Being from somewhere where it’s dark and below 40 degrees most of the year doesn’t mean you’re immune to the cold.There’s a Swedish saying that goes “there is no bad weather, only bad clothes”.” but sometimes we forget, and then we get cold. Just like any other human being.
3. Oh yeah, I’ve been to Switzerland! I love it there!
Swedes know the difference between Canada and the U.S. and they’re closer in distance than Sweden and Switzerland.
We have no words for this. Just please stop thinking we’re Switzerland.
4. Oh, I love your chocolate! And watches, right?
Again, unless you’re talking about Marabou or Daniel Wellington, we’re not that country.
5. I hear Sweden is really dangerous nowadays
Yeah, no. Sweden is still one of the safest places in the whole world. We also live until we’re 82.73, as we wrote about in this article so we’re fine, thank you very much.
6. Why do you speak English so well?
According to the English Proficiency Index, Swedes are the second-best in the world at speaking English for countries where English is not the first language. After the Netherlands, probably because no one understands the Dutch language including themselves.
In all seriousness, the real reason is that we start learning English when we’re really young, we don’t dub our movies and everybody watches American TV-shows and films.
7. Is it true that people are nude everywhere?
Swedes are known to have a liberal view on sexuality and nudity, which stems from Sweden being one of the first countries in the world to openly show nudity in films. This is usually referred to as The Swedish Sin, and you can read more about it here. Being naked is a somewhat different concept for us, as the body is just not as sexualized in our culture as it is in America.
For example, you will absolutely see a mother breastfeed her child in public in Sweden, and even though we like to skinny dip in the summer after a nice session in the sauna, we don’t walk around naked all the time. Mainly because it would be too cold.
8. “Isn’t Sweden very socialist?”
Oj oj oj, this one is tough. On one hand, yes, the government controls many aspects of Swedish society but on the other hand, privatization has been on the rise the last couple of decades making Sweden a market-based mixed economy. Sweden, and the whole of Scandinavia for that matter, is what political scientists will call a ‘Social Democracy‘.
9. You’re from Sweden? I know Sweden! IKEA! ABBA!
Yes, we are proud of our Swedish exports such as ABBA and IKEA, but there’s more to Sweden than a multinational furniture company and a famous band from the 70s. For example, did you know that the three-point seatbelt was invented by a Swede, that Skype and Minecraft are famous Swedish companies as well? If not, check out our weekly article series #Swedishmade, where we feature things that many might not know are Swedish.
10. Oh wow, aren’t the taxes really really high? Yes, they are high, but not the highest in the world. If you compare Sweden with the U.S., we get a lot more for our taxes including entirely free education, starting from daycare all the way up to university level, free healthcare, and one of the most generous parental leave in the whole world.
11. “Flurgy durgy hurdy” – the Swedish chef
Yes, we know about the Swedish Chef from the Muppet show. No, that’s not actually Swedish. It’s not actually a language at all. However, we must say that it’s vaguely similar to Norwegian….our little brother next door that we love to make fun of.
Sweden is constantly ranked as one of the happiest, healthiest, and most innovative nations.
It is home to some of the most valuable nordic companies (IKEA and H&M); and, not surprisingly, the country of Sweden has The Best Reputation in the World.
Which makes some of us non-Swedes wonder: Swedes, why are you so great??
Is it the fresh air? Is it something in the water? Is every Swede just born with it?
The book is divided into three sections: Lagom in your personal life, lagom in family/relationships, and lagom in the wider world. Each chapter comes with recipes, tips and tricks, and research to back up each point. After reading through the whole book, I picked out 10 tips to try in my daily life and see if they would bring me closer to lagom.
Did they work? Let’s find out!
TIP #1: Keep a basket or bag by the stairs and slowly fill it with stray items. Once it’s full, sort through and put everything back where it belongs.
MY TAKE: Why didn’t I think of this genius idea? We have a little nook on our staircase where my family piles everything that’s misplaced, but I think having a small basket is easier to transport. To try this tip, I bought a cheap basket from Amazon and placed it near the staircase. One week later, our staircase was completely clean and the house was better organized. Success!
TIP #2: In Sweden, candles are a big part of daily life. When the outside light starts to fade, why not add a few strategically placed candles to your own home to soothe the soul?
MY TAKE: For some reason, candles weren’t a big thing in my household, probably because my parents thought I would accidentally knock one over and set the house on fire. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t)
Since I recently moved to a new apartment, I took advantage of this tip and bought a mix of large and small candles in a variety of different flavors like tropical, fruity, and classic smells. After a particularly stressful day of moving stuff around, I lit up some candles, picked up one of my favorite magazines, and had a mini spa day with a sheet mask. The candles really helped set the mood for me to relax and de-stress. I think this tip is particularly useful in the winter months when there isn’t much sunlight outside – it adds such a cozy feeling and I highly recommend buying a few candles during your next trip to the store!
Source: Unit 27
TIP #3: Swedes love to spend time in saunas (called bada bastu). There are avid users who choose to go alone, arriving at the crack of dawn to enjoy the tranquility; others use the session to catch up with a friend, and there are even whole groups who meet as part of a monthly sauna club. The heat flushes away impurities and the hot-cold treatments improve stress and circulation.
MY TAKE: When I read this tip, I was so excited to apply it! In Eastern Europe, we have a similar thing called the banya. It’s a wooden room with benches and heat, where we traditionally slap ourselves with a batch of birch branches (to get rid of toxins). I invited my friends to the local sauna here in San Francisco and had so much fun catching up. There were a few different styles of rooms, including a Finnish sauna. I’m not sure if it’s the same as a Swedish sauna, but I really felt my circulation improve and walked out of the sauna feeling light and refreshed. Ahhh.
Source: Stocksy
TIP #4: Take a fika break. The Swedish fikapaus is a break with coffee and maybe a little treat. A study found that people who took morning breaks at work reported feeling more energized, more able to concentrate, and more motivated.
MY TAKE: I’ve heard about the famous Swedish fika break, and was so excited to finally test out this tip. Since I work from home, I can take a break whenever: I scheduled my fika breaks a little earlier than noon, around 11 am or 11:30 am, and would walk to my local cafe to get some “brain fuel” (AKA coffee). I noticed my creativity would jump after I came back home and started working again. During this week-long experiment, I think I came up with more ideas than the entire month – and I’ll definitely keep fikapaus as part of my new routine!
TIP #5: Watching TV together as a family is so popular in Sweden that it even has its own name: Fredagsmys (Cosy Friday). It gives the whole family a chance to catch up and feel connected.
MY TAKE: Growing up, one of my favorite activities was getting the whole family together and watching a movie – we baked homemade pizza, popcorn, and rented a movie from the local Blockbuster. We still do this occasionally, but it’s more of finding something on Netflix and watching one episode while scrolling through the phone.
To really get into it, as the Swedes do, I told my family to clear their calendars and schedule Friday as a “cozy day.” Each family member would bring a homemade item (such as brownies, lemonade, or appetizers) and a movie that he or she wanted to watch. Our Fredagsmys was super fun and connected us as a family – I would especially recommend this to anyone because it’s so easy to set up.
Source: VICE
TIP #6: Swedes teach their children the art of moderation from a young age. Every Saturday, families go to the local supermarket and the kids get to pick out a few sweets – but they can only eat it on that day! This is called lördagsgodis, or Saturday Sweets.
MY TAKE: As a kid, I hated going to the dentist – candy was all fun and games until you get a cavity, and I had a lot of them.
Swedes have a solution for this, which is to only allow kids to eat their sweets on Saturday. Called lördagsgodis, families will go to the supermarket on the weekend, let kids pick out a few treats, and then go home to eat them. Since I’m trying to reduce my sweet tooth this year, it seemed like the perfect tip to try. I would hide all of the chocolate and candy and only open my “sweets cupboard” on Saturday. During the entire week, I didn’t feel any sugar cravings (which was a total surprise!) and when it came time for lördagsgodis, I only ate a few pieces of chocolate. This is another great tip that I’m definitely planning to use in my daily life.
TIP #7: Swedish architects are famous for creating minimalistic and ergonomic offices. One of the best tips is to stand up while working because it improves circulation, metabolism, and posture.
MY TAKE: In the book, experts say that sitting at a desk for 5 or more hours is the equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Can you believe it!?
Since I’m sitting on my butt all day, I followed Niki’s advice and did the 45/15 rule, which is to work for 45 minutes and then take a 15-minute break to walk around and get some fresh air. The book also recommends buying a standing desk (or a stand for your laptop, which starts at $20) so that you can work standing up. While I’m not at that level yet, I feel better when I take more frequent breaks and work standing up for an hour.
TIP #8: There’s a Swedish proverb that says, ‘One must learn to make others happy if one wants to be happy.’ Swedes are famous for being unselfish and thinking of others – try doing a random act of kindness to spread the joy.
MY TAKE: This was one of my favorite tips to do during my entire week-long experiment because you can do a random act of kindness of any size, whether it’s as small as donating a few dollars to your friend’s fundraiser or as big as helping a non-profit build a house.
One memorable moment this week was when I helped a couple of Italian pensioner tourists in San Francisco – they needed directions to their hotel, and I walked the 5 blocks with them to make sure they wouldn’t get lost. The beauty of doing this tip is that the person you’re helping will likely pass it on as well and also do an act of kindness, and it’ll be like one huge chain reaction!
Source: https://www.explorenovisad.rs
TIP #9: Some experts suggest that eating beef has a greater impact on our carbon footprint than driving a car! Why not exercise the philosophy of lagom and reduce your meat intake to once a week?
MY TAKE: My mom has converted me into a weird half-vegetarian person, but I still occasionally eat meat 2 or 3 times a week. After seeing all of the improvements that my mom had after switching to a vegetarian diet – better teeth, clearer skin, weight loss, and so on – I wanted to give it a try. I chose Monday as my only day to eat meat (Get it, Meat Monday? Easy to remember!) and tried my best to stick to it.
By the end of the week, I accidentally ate a few pieces of turkey meat (it was on pizza and hard to resist), but overall I felt like I did a great job. Even if you only take out meat from one or two days of the week, it’s still an excellent improvement to your health – and you’ll be saving the environment!
TIP #10: The Swedish vintage-clothing market has grown dramatically over the past few years, with many people opting for secondhand over new. Swedes love a bargain from a loppis (flea market) and happily scour local online sites, markets, secondhand stores to find what they’re looking for.
MY TAKE: On my final day, I decided to treat myself the lagom way and go to a local secondhand store. There were so many colorful and fun goodies, and I ended up buying some chic new scarves (including a vintage Prada!), a cute top, and even a few books. All of these items could have been destined to a landfill, but thankfully they were donated to a secondhand store and “recycled” into a new item – in my wardrobe!
This article was originally published on April 19, 2018.
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