Scandinavian Life Habits That Won’t Make You Happy Forever, But Might Fill Your Cup For a Little While

Common, down-to-earth sense

As much as I love my Scandinavian coffee habits, (never too much and never too late) this story is not about a cup of something you drink, but about how we Scandinavians find happiness in the small things and why we stick to them.

A daily walk

Exercise in Scandinavia is a way of living.

For many, exercising means biking to work. For others, myself included, it means a daily walk. For others, it’s regular workouts with friends.

Almost 30 percent of Danes and Swedes living in cities bike regularly to and from work. 50 percent of Swedes take regular long walks as either part of their daily activities or as a form of relaxation. On weekends, families often go hiking or walking together.

It’s part of a lifestyle many of us grew up with. It’s habits we don’t really think of as habits because they’re so ingrained in us.

I can’t help but think that this kind of laidback, non-stressful way of exercising can boost a good mood now and then. I see it in my own life, and there’s also research to back it up.

An article in Prevention highlights some of the benefits; by walking outside your brain releases serotonin and dopamine, known to lift our moods — and this can occur both during and after a workout. Walking outside has also been shown to lower rates of depression more effectively than doing the same activity indoors. Which makes perfect sense, the scenery is nicer outside than from a treadmill in the basement or at some local gym.

A moment of nothing

As I have mentioned in previous articles, Scandinavians truly value their time off. Moments where there’s no agenda or nothing specific happening.

It’s easy to set aside a moment of nothing in Scandinavia. Here, overseas in the United States, it’s doable, but it takes more of an effort. Society doesn’t expect you to slow down because endless productivity is praised. You see it in the workplace, you see it in the store (2-minute microwave dinners so you have time to do all the other stuff), you see it in school, sports, everywhere.

As a parent, I want my kids to have the time to be bored.

This doesn’t mean they’re not active or don’t have things happening throughout the week. They’re involved in sports, but only one sport each, once a week. That may not work for everyone, but it’s what works for us.

An article in HSS talks about kids and youth participating in sports, often multiple sports and often overlapping. Of the 60 million children and teens who participate in organized sports each year, about 27 percent are involved in only one sport, according to the National Council of Youth Sports. Many are training or competing year-round on multiple teams. Kids as young as seven years old may join travel leagues in addition to school-sponsored programs. “We see kids as young as 10 years old on four soccer teams,” pediatric orthopedic surgeon Peter Fabricant states in the article.

There’s not a lot of time left for nothing with that kind of activity level.

A homemade meal

Scandinavians are taught early about the importance of living healthy, food-wise. The public schools actually reflect it; there’s no chocolate milk, fries or nuggets for lunch.

In Norway, growing up, I had a mandatory cooking class each week in middle school. It lasted for three school hours and during that time, we learned how to make an entire meal from scratch. It was a new meal each week, sometimes with seasonal ingredients.

Nothing was processed. It was usually hearty, traditional Norwegian food. Lots of fish and lots of potatoes and carrots.

Since then, I love cooking homemade meals whenever I can (which is not every day). The very obvious benefits of eating healthy and making your own food stuck with me. Now, it is something I try to prioritize as much as possible in my current daily life, raising my kids in America.

The food we eat can impact our mood. An article in Harvard Health Publishing paints a good picture:

“Your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That “fuel” comes from the foods you eat — and what’s in that fuel makes all the difference. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.” - Eva Selhub MD

Studies also, not surprisingly, have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function, worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, including depression.

When first moving to the United States, it looked like everyone had it together, all the time. I was the only mess out there. But once you actually get to know people, you see what’s below the surface and realize it’s not picture-perfect, even though it may look like it from the outside.

Most of us don’t have it all together. But we have something.

Seeing and recognizing the small things puts everything in perspective.