Just take a look at social media to realise that the ‘Made in Denmark’ art of living has been a great success. Just on Instagram the #hygge (an invitation to get cosy and take care of your home) has been used more than 4.6 million times!
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The country, which has just reached 3rd place in nations where the inhabitants are the happiest in the world, has offered us a new word, which could embody another way to achieve strong mental health. This is known as ‘Pyt.’
Globalising a Scandinavian concept
‘Scary,’ ‘depressing’ and ‘sad.’ These are the 3 adjectives used by Brits to describe 2018, according to a study conducted by GroupM (WPP). Suffice to say that a small remedy in order to cheer up would not be a luxury. And that's exactly what Pyt has come to offer, a concept of Danish mental health. According to the psychologist Marie Helweg-Larsen who relayed the usefulness of this form of positive thinking in The Conversation: ‘the concepts that support this term are applicable throughout the world.’ So why deprive yourself?
The English equivalent of this word would be a series of small sentences that can be said in order to relativise oneself: ‘It's okay!’ ‘Let it go,’ ‘Too bad,’ ‘It's life.’ Expressions, and above all, a state of mind, that make it possible to move forward with positivity and not to dwell on minor annoyances, which ultimately are not worth the trouble. In short, we must learn to let go!
A free and easy remedy against annoyances
According to Marie Helweg-Larsen, saying ‘Pyt’ or a translation into one's native language ‘intrinsically means accepting and then reprogramming. It's a little reminder of the need to take a step back, to refocus oneself so as not to overreact.’
So, instead of antagonising a client who is taking too long at the checkout and is going to delay you, adopt the ‘Pyt attitude.’ A colleague misspelled, without doing it on purpose, your name in a document? Keep calm and just say: ‘That’s the way it is,’ ‘This is not the end of the world.’
A British study has shown that the more ones tries to prove to someone that they are wrong, the more one's anger increases. It is therefore useless and bad for one’s serenity.
By fighting the tendency to systematically blame others or to point out their mistakes, we participate in the reduction of stress. And therefore we reduce the risks to our health.
Check out the video above for more on how to be Pyt...
