Applying The Concept Of Lagom, A Swedish Balanced Lifestyle

Illustration (Tasy Hong-Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Many people pursue happiness in life. The methods are very diverse and each person can do different things to achieve happiness. For example, by helping others, being grateful often, or being a successful person.

If you don't know how to achieve happiness, you can copy the Swedish way. This concept of happiness is called lagom.

In Swedish philosophy, lagom means enough. This concept can also be translated as "not too much and not too little."

Lagom can be applied in various aspects of life, from work, clothing, food, home, and so on.

It should be noted that Sweden, Finland and Denmark, which are Scandinavian countries, are at the top of the list of the happiest countries in the world according to the World Happiest Report.

What makes people there well known to be happy? Apart from the safety, health and occupations of its citizens, the lifestyle they adopt has a big influence on their level of happiness.

According to the author of Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way by Anna Brones, lagom could be the key to a balanced life.

Niki Brantmark in Lagom's book: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life states how important it is for us to imitate the relaxed and relaxed behavior of Swedish society, so that we can fill our time with meaningful things.

In contrast to a minimalist lifestyle that prioritizes "less is more", lagom actually prioritizes the principle of balance. In life, everything must be sufficient, without weaknesses and strengths.

Regarding work, people in Sweden do not recognize the principle of "work hard play hard" but they are more focused on work life balances and are used to applying it in their daily lives. They also never do overtime or take work outside the specified working hours.

In Indonesia, the standard working hours are usually around 8-9 hours. However, working hours in Sweden are generally only six hours and this has proven to be effective and increases productivity.

In addition, the lagom lifestyle also supports social time. Instead of making people individualistic, lagom accustoms people to prioritizing groups and togetherness. Their happiness is not only obtained from personal pleasure, but also from helping others.

When you're not working, Swedish people usually take the time to do positive hobbies, gather with the closest people, do activities in public spaces, and be active in the community.

Another way to apply lagom in everyday life can be by eating enough, looking stylish but still simple, accustoming to an environmentally friendly lifestyle, and always being grateful for what you have and not needing to feel jealous of others.