I wrote a few weeks back about nicen. It’s essentially the art of doing nothing. Although I am familiar with lagoon and hygge, nicen seemed fake to me. (I know it’s not, and I mean no offense to the lovely people of the Netherlands, but come on…) Inspired, I did a little more research and discovered the following Nordic lifestyle trends to justify all of my lazy/self-destructive/generally not productive behaviors.
SAGSTUA
This one’s for Greenland friends. Did you ever regret going to the gym after you had done it? But, there is no way to know if this could be the first. Can I cancel when we are within the 12-hour cancellation period? You already know that I am, ClassPass.
FJALLA
The Finnish art of using Netflix recommendations to help people find the best shows, without rewashing the same three shows over and over again for five years. Chernobyl, is it revelatory? A dollar would buy me a Hulu subscription. It wouldn’t cost any ads. While I will be attentive as you praise Jodie Comer for Villanelle and Meryl Steep for Mary Louise, internally I am replaying the scene from 30 Rock in which Tracy Jordan lists all the things he witnessed growing up in a poor neighborhood. Is it possible to have a pack of wild dogs take over and run a Wendy’s? It will go straight to my veins.
MORBYLANGA
You might be thinking, “Why make a resolution if you know you will give up on it within weeks of January 1?” What’s the point of that? These will be gone quickly so don’t hesitate to go big. You don’t need to lose ten pounds. Make it 500. You can save $2.2 million by not buying coffee and making it at home.
NORDVIKEN
Nordviken literally means “I know that I will regret not doing mine skin-care routine when my new zit appears on my chin. But life is about having no regrets.” It’s about combining the no-nonsense attitude of a Glossier rep and the skin of a 16 year-old boy who has a dairy intolerance. Balance, people.
JANINGE
My friend, the days of feeling guilty about texting your ex-partner because “The 1 train is just really distant from my apartment” are gone. You don’t have to stop texting. Send them GIFs, half-baked rage haikus, and links to cool sneakers. The Danes, like the Swedes are notoriously anti-regret.
