Lagom is the art of balanced living. As I mentioned in my Fika Friday live last week, it is all about having just the right amount of what you need in your life. Whether it is habits or portion sizes or a statement wall in your living room. You can catch the replay here: Fika Friday Replay
And as a busy entrepreneurial lone mother to three, with two pets and a currently overgrown garden and lots of plates to spin, I totally get why this is an art you have to learn and master.
It isn’t something that comes easy. Especially when you are constantly giving out energy, time and pieces of yourself to those around you.
The thing is, we all know that when our balance is off we feel worse for it. And yet, we all seem to go through these phases of letting it happen anyway. Not only letting it happen … but letting it happen over a long period of time.
So here are 3 ways to weave more lagom into your day to day life so that you can feel calmer and more balanced.
ONE
Set boundaries. Sounds easy in theory but isn’t always the case in practice. Setting boundaries takes sisu (resilience) and you can do it in respectful, peaceful ways. It is more about gentle reminders about what your needs are and how you want them to be met and respected, than stonewalling someone. If you communicate your boundaries to others, they will understand your needs better and you will feel more balanced.
Not only that, we also need to have boundaries with ourselves and be realistic about what we say yes to and what we take on in life. Protecting your time and energy is tantamount to protecting your peace!
TWO
Keep an eye on your to do list. I love this one, it is so simple and so effective. Write down what you intend to do that day. If a task or thing on your list fuels your energy put a little upward arrow next to it. If it takes energy, put a downward arrow.
If the amount of upward and downward arrows on your list are unbalanced you will feel unbalanced also. So make sure you balance it like you would a bank balance. You need to value the energy fuelling activities with the same amount of importance as your other responsibilities. Balance is true self care. Even if it does take a little extra self discipline and umage (putting a little extra effort in each day) to keep on top of it.
THREE
A little task to try. Everything you come across in the next week - stop and ask yourself “is this just the right about of … for me?”
Whether it be activities, vegging out in front of the tv, the time you spend scrolling on socials, how many lifts you agree to give people (I feel like I’m running a taxi service at the minute), portion sizes, exercise.
Whatever it is, is it just the right amount of what you need at that moment in time?
If not, you may well start to feel an imbalance. Too much or too little of what you need can leave you feeling overwhelmed and oversaturated or in lack.
I’ll be live again for Fika Friday in my Hygge Makes Me Happy facebook group. It is free so come and join us for a cuppa on Friday morning if you are free.
Here is the link for you: www.facebook.com/groups/hyggemakesmehappy
I tend to go with the flow so will see what book from my Nordic library I feel like reading from on Friday so the topic is a surprise (even to me haha).
Have a wonderful calm week.
Victoria
The Nordic Calm Coach