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I am always talking on and on about Nordic habits and how embracing a few simple habits can make a big difference to our lives. But I expect you are asking yourself what those habits can really do for you.
Maybe you like to make huge sweeping changes in your life, or maybe you make lots of small ones. Or perhaps you are just starting to think about bringing some new habits and ways of living into your life and don't know quite where to start.
A few weeks ago a lovely friend of mine asked me if Andre and I make New Year's resolutions and I had to stop and think about for a bit before I answered. I've never been a big fan of resolutions at the start of the year. They start well, but never stick. I have great plans and try to implement too much at once and that's a recipe for failure. So no, we don't make resolutions as such.
However, we do focus on habits; embracing good habits and trying to eliminate bad habits. By bad habits I am talking about the things that waste our time, bring us no joy and fail to move us forward in the direction we want to go in.
For me that might be spending too much time caught up in watching a new series on Netflix, or obsessively tidying the basement (when it probably doesn't need it). It's all that terrible thing called procrastination. Good habits can be choosing healthy snacks, making time to learn something useful, or making a conscious choice to be happy each day.
Nordic habits are some of the things that have made the biggest changes in my life. They are usually simple, easy to implement habits that make big changes in our lives with a small amount of effort.
How can Nordic habits help you?
It can simplify your life
Life does not need to be complicated. We can make an active choice to keep it simple. Simple living, simple pleasures and simple choices. Not everything has to be hard and we are allowed to make the simple, easy choices if we want to. This is a valuable lesson I have learned from the Nordic way of life. That we can make those easy choices for a simple life of intention if we want
It helps you appreciate the simple things
This is a habit I have embraced wholeheartedly since living in Norway. Simple pleasures and appreciating simple everyday things has been a huge gamechanger for me. It makes such a difference to how we view our lives right now, the moment that we are in.
It encourages you to eat more healthily
We all know we should be eating in a healthier way and it's so easy to be tempted by the less than healthy option. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that every once in a while, but we don't want to get caught in a cycle of constantly eating the wrong foods. The Nordic diet focusses on seasonal, natural ingredients put together in simple traditional ways.
It gets you outside more
Friluftsliv! Outdoor living! It's the best. You don't need to be Bear Grylls or Lars Monsen to get outside, but I promise you that even a few minutes a day will make an enormous difference to your mental and physical health.
It slows you down a little
Life is not rushed in the Nordics. Naturally there are times when we move fast and get things done, but there is a great appreciation of the slower aspects of life, of making time for a cosy home, good food and spending time with family and friends. It's deliberate, intentional and thoughtful, which it turn makes it all the meaningful and appreciated.
Is Nordic living for you? It's not difficult to make some simple changes that can have a big impact on our lives and when better time to start than at the beginning of a new year (although any time is good. It's all about the "now").
Hilsen fra Fiona
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