Around the Globe With Self-Care
You’ve heard of armchair travel, right?
Well this is armchair travel with a twist. Cultures from around the world have cultivated well-being in many fascinating ways—and science agrees that they’re effective! Better yet? They won’t cost you a thing.
Self-care goes global!
- Spanish siesta
Let’s start with a bit of winter warmth. In Spain and other Mediterranean places, as well as Latin America and some places in Asia, it’s common practice to take an after-lunch nap, called a “siesta” in Spanish. This afternoon nap time is not just for kids—adults do it too! It’s taken so seriously that museums, shops, and churches usually close for a couple of hours, and everything shuts down.
Adult nap time isn’t just a nice treat to indulge in. Researchers have found that, among generally healthy Greeks, those who partake in regular napping had a 37% lower chance of dying from heart disease within a few years of enrolling in the study. So if you have the ability to take a short nap during the day, try it out! As long as it doesn’t mess up your nighttime sleep, it may be a great way to get an extra boost of well-being.
- Danish “hygge”
I love the cold. I love coming in after a walk feeling like an ice cube and then being welcomed (and defrosted) by my warm kitchen. And I love being able to curl up with a book on long winter nights. I love hot baths.
But I know that there are many who definitely don’t share my love of freezing weather!
In 2016, Denmark ranked as the happiest nation in the world in the World Happiness Report. Then, Finland became number one for the next three years, with Norway and Sweden never far behind. Did you ever wonder at the fact that the five happiest countries in the world are almost always cold, Nordic countries. How do they do it?
Of course, there are likely many factors involved. These countries often have less income inequality, greater oil wealth, and breathtaking natural landscapes. But I wondered if there were any specific Nordic secrets to happiness and wellness—even during winter.
The Danish believe in hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”), which loosely translates to “coziness” and sounds to me a lot like ‘hug’! The word originated from an Old Norwegian word meaning “well-being,” and it captures all that is cozy, warm, and enjoyable. Curling up under a soft blanket while holding a warm mug of cocoa is hygge. Chatting with friends and family around a fire is hygge. And simply enjoying the glow of a candle is hygge.
This concept of hygge not only gives practical inspiration for how to enjoy life—oversized scarves and hot drinks —but it also offers a philosophy for how to be with one’s environment instead of fighting against it. No wonder the Danes are happy in winter!
- Japanese forest bathing
On the subject of being with the environment, we’ll ‘travel’ now eastwards to Japan, to take a dip in the woods. Not an actual swim, but rather, an immersion in nature called “shinrin-yoku,” loosely translated to “forest bathing.”
Forest bathing is exactly what it sounds like—being immersed in nature. Importantly, it’s not about going camping, hiking, or doing any hardcore exercise in a forest. In fact, it’s not a goal-oriented activity at all. It’s simply being with nature, with your senses open and your body as your guide.
Health researcher Dr. Qing Li and his colleagues have found that forest bathing enhances the immune system and encourages the expression of anti-cancer proteins. They also found that it decreases depression, fatigue, anxiety, and unsurprisingly, heart rate.
To take a forest bath yourself, you don’t need to seek out special destinations. You can simply find a spot of nature, even if it’s just a group of trees or a garden, and walk through the area slowly and aimlessly. Turn off your mobile phone and simply let the forest in through your five senses.
- Indian laughter yoga
Who doesn’t enjoy a good belly laugh? But have you ever done it on purpose? The idea of (Indian) laughter yoga is that we don’t have to wait for something funny to happen in order to laugh. Instead, laughter can and should be practiced for its own sake.
Laughter yoga is often practiced in groups, where real playfulness and interaction between people can turn practiced laughs into real guffaws. And there seem to be real health benefits, even if the laughter is “fake.”
A recent meta-analysis found that simulated laughter may be even more effective than spontaneous, humorous laughter for improving mood. So why not give it a try—do a belly laugh like no one is watching. Or better yet, get together with others and laugh with them!
- South African Ubuntu philosophy
Speaking of being with others, perhaps nothing captures our social human nature better than the South African philosophy of Ubuntu. This term from the Zulu language can be translated as “humanity towards others,” and it’s part of a phrase that means “a person is a person through other people.” This idea has been spread, in part, by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a South African theologian, and human rights activist.
The word Ubuntu can be translated as ‘humanity towards others,’ and is part of a phrase that means ‘a person is a person through other people.’
Ubuntu is different from the other items here because it’s not just a practice, but rather, a whole humanist philosophy that embraces diversity, compassion, warmth, and dignity for all.
This may be a philosophy we especially need right now, even if living by it might be a lifelong pursuit. We can begin by acknowledging the humanity of all people, being open to learning, and respecting all, even if we’re unfamiliar or in conflict with someone.
- Jewish Sabbath
Observing the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, is a religious tradition in the practice of Judaism. The Shabbat—meaning “rest” or “cessation”—begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening, during which people refrain from work. Instead, they honour the Sabbath with restful activities like meditation, contemplation, and having festive meals with family. This is what Christian cultures traditionally also do (or did) on the Sunday – the day of rest.
Research has found that Sabbath-keeping is beneficial for physical and mental health. One Jewish writer, Menachem Kaiser, has referred to the Sabbath as “the only authentic form of leisure: the act and fulfillment of doing absolutely nothing productive” and “our best bet to enact lasting communities.” This sounds like a much-needed balm for our modern hurts.
Research has found that Sabbath-keeping is beneficial for physical and mental health. This is unsurprising, given that much research has established the benefits of rest, spirituality, and even simply eating meals together as a family. So even if you’re not religious, you can practice a secular version of Shabbat and let this weekly time out give you the chance to rest and connect with others. And if you manage to turn off your mobile phone for a day too then you’re really doing well!
Whether it’s through the quietness of forest bathing, or the exuberance of laughter yoga, so many wellness practices and philosophies from around the world get back to the basics—feeling connected to our bodies, our minds, and one another. None of the ideas require you to buy a single thing. All of them invite us to be mindful and connected. And that would be my Christmas and New Years wish for this year!
REFERENCES:
* Naska A, Oikonomou E, Trichopoulou A, Psaltopoulou T, Trichopoulos D. Siesta in Healthy Adults and Coronary Mortality in the General Population. Arch Intern Med. 2007, 167(3):296–301. doi:10.1001/archinte.167.3.296
*World Happiness Report. https://worldhappiness.report
* Li, Q et al. Forest bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol, Apr-Jun 2007; 20(2 Suppl 2): pages 3-8.
* Li, Q et al. Effects of Forest Bathing on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Parameters in Middle-Aged Males. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016; 2016: 2587381
* Li, Q. Forest Bathing Is Great for Your Health. Here’s How To Do It. https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/
See also Dr Li’s book ‘Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness’. Viking (Penguin Publishing Group), 2018.
* van der Wal, N.C and Kok, R.N. Laughter-inducing therapies: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Social Science & Medicine Volume 232, July 2019, Pages 473-488.
* Superville, D. J., Pargament, K. I., & Lee, J. W. (2014). Sabbath Keeping and Its Relationships to Health and Well-Being: A Mediational Analysis. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 24(3), 241–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2013.837655
* S. M. Fruh et al. The Surprising Benefits of the Family Meal. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 18-22, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2010.04.017