Leading a meaningful and balanced life is widely considered to be important for good health and happiness, yet introducing the right changes to make this your reality can feel overwhelming and complicated. Applying the Scandinavian concept of lagom (pronounced lar-gom) to various aspects of your routine could make these goals easier to achieve.
When British writer Niki Brantmark – founder of blog My Scandinavian Home (myscandinavianhome.com) – moved to Sweden from London with her Swedish husband, she became fascinated by the slower, simpler way of living. At a dinner party – where everyone had prepared and brought a dish, so no one had to do too much, or too little – her new friends told her about the meaning of lagom. There isn’t a direct translation into English, but ‘everything in moderation’, ‘not too little not too much’, ‘a balance that works for you’ are all ways of interpreting the phrase.