Do you know what "KÄNN LUGNET" means? It's my new favorite saying:)
There is a Swedish saying that recently came up in a conversation with my husband (who is from Sweden) when we were talking about our summer plans.
It's called "Känn lugnet" and means "Feel the calmness."
I love that there is a saying for this very simple yet often overlooked act.
To me, it shows how "feeling the calmness" is something that is treasured in the Swedish culture, something people actively talk about and seek out.
Perhaps that is why they consistently rank in the top 3 of the happiest countries?! 🤔
When I first met my husband nearly 13 years ago, I remember hanging out on the couch one day when I asked him: "So what are we going to do today?" He simply responded: "Well, right now, we are just hanging out on the couch."
There was no rush to make a plan, know what's coming up next or get out the door... it was just about PRESENCE.
Although our daily lives with three kids have definitely sped up a lot, I still feel this calmness in him. I love his ability to just chill that was, I believe, embedded in him by his culture and up-bringing.
It's something that I deeply want to instill into the way we raise our kids, too. I think that learning how to feel calm and seek it out as something valuable is much easier to intuitively learn as a child than when you're already a stressed out adult who is used to hustling culture only.
*Sidenote: I believe that being able to hustle, to initiate, to jump in and get things done are also amazing and very much needed qualities to create overall success, but more often than not these are the only outwardly praised qualities... and I believe it's making us sick and unhappy.
As my family prepares to take off to Europe to see our families for the summer (a mix or work and vacation), I notice how much I am longing for that calmness…
… no schedule
… no traffic/ only bikes
… ample time in nature
… long summer nights with our families
… no morning noise (minus the kids and seagulls ;))
My body and mind are craving it and when I let myself sink into why I crave it, what I hear back is that "feeling the calmness" sets the stage for me to feel INNER PEACE and EFFORTLESS JOY.
As I get older, cultivating and being intentional about finding that calmness feels ever more important for my nervous system, for my all around health and well-being –and that of my family.
If you resonate with this, then I invite you to join me in making this summer about KÄNN LUNGNET, about FEELING THE CALMNESS.
If you're IN, hit reply and just say “YES! KÄNN LUNGNET, PLEASE” and I will hold that vision for you :)
Lots of love!
xo
Caroline
PS: In the coming weeks I will share some personal musings about life, creating inner calm space, and finding joy with you via email as well as on instagram (+ pics and stories from our summer time abroad, of course;)). You can follow me on insta here.
