Minimalism, the art of having less, is a huge lifestyle trend that is currently making its way in home, apparel, food, and more. We meal prep with fewer and more basic ingredients to save time, we minimize our wardrobes to reduce our footprint on this planet, and we buy less knick-knacks in our home so it doesn’t feel as cluttered.
Though, while consuming less does make us feel less indebted to an item, I wanted to further explore what ‘minimalism’ meant to other people, or in Lagom’s case, other countries.
Lagom, the Swedish art of balanced living, roughly translates to “not too little, not too much, just right.” As a minimalist myself, I’m constantly reevaluating the object around me to see how far I’m able to live with less. Though, what if the issue isn’t necessarily continuing to eliminate or hoard? But finding that perfect equilibrium that suits our lifestyles without causing a lack or excess?
“Lagom: The Swedish Art Of Balanced Living” by Linnea Dunne was one of the first books I read on the Swedish lifestyle concept. Lagom isn’t perfection, but finding simple, attainable solutions to your everyday worries like stress, eating better, having downtime and achieving happiness. It’s a balance of work and life so everything is in sustainable existence with each other.
Seems practical in theory, right? Dunne suggests toying around with more ethical clothing and beginning a capsule wardrobe, eating locally and growing your own food, forcing yourself to have more breaks during the day to feel more rested. But our days shift and sometimes we’re not able to check off everything on our lists. That’s the beauty of Lagom, though.
It’s a fuss-free lifestyle, meaning, it’s learning how to find pleasure and contentment in what we have, even if it’s not picture-perfect. And understanding that everything we do plays an important part in how we lead sustainable, less-destructive lives on earth.
Whether or not you want to practice the art of Lagom full-time, you have to admit a fuss-free lifestyle seems ideal right about now. Especially in a culture where over-indulgence is somewhat idolized.
If you’re looking to get into Lagom, here are eight easy ways to start living a balanced lifestyle:
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