What is it about Scandinavians? They consistently rank as among the happiest people on the planet and they have some of the funniest sounding words (remember my recent post on Hygge, yep that’s a Scandinavian word too). Still…funny vocabulary aside–the rest of us on planet earth could certainly benefit by taking note of some of these Scandinavian words, and incorporating into our routines, the concept that the words define–like for instance, the word sisu.

Sisu (pronounced see-soo) is a life philosophy that is a central part of the collective discourse of the small country of Finland. While some equate sisu with stamina, perseverance or grit, it’s really more than that. In fact, sisu can be thought of as the psychological gear that kicks in where perseverance leaves off. It is essentially, the process of positive adaptation to stress or a tragedy. It is a reserve of emotional/physical power that enables extraordinary action to overcome mentally or physically challenging situations. It’s what kicks in when you pull a quad in mile nine but still make it to the finish line of your half-marathon, or you make the decision to leave a dangerously toxic marriage even  though you’re not sure where you’ll go or how you’ll support yourself. Basically it’s what happens when you feel like you just can’t go on, and yet…you do.

Nurturing and strengthening our sisu “muscles” before we need them will help to ensure that when the unthinkable happens (because at one time or another–it will happen…for all of us), we are more prepared to dig deep and deal with it. The Finns believe that one of the best ways to build up our sisu is to engage in activities that take us outside of our comfort zones–because let’s face it, we won’t need our sisu when we are tucked safely within our cozy little worlds where everything is predictable and easily managed. In fact, there is a Finnish proverb that speaks directly to this willingness to push past our normal limits…

“ You can never cross the ocean until you can find the courage to lose sight of the shore —FINNISH PROVERB

Don’t worry though–stepping out of your comfort zone is something that you can learn to do gradually. For example, if you tend to be a bit shy, you don’t necessarily have to walk up to your crush and immediately ask for a date; you can just start out by smiling and saying hello. You can also expand your comfort zone by simply doing everyday things in different ways. Try taking a different route to work in the morning, listen to music that is outside of your norm or try a new dish at your favorite restaurant instead of your usual.

In addition to taking practice steps outside of our comfort zones as a way of building our sisu reserves; we can also better prepare ourselves for challenging moments by doing everything in our power now to make sure that we are as mentally, physically and emotionally stable as possible. Tending to our own well being, truly is the best defense that any one of us has against those curve balls that life sometimes throws. This means, making sure that we are getting adequate amounts of sleep, watching what we eat, getting enough exercise/movement, allowing for moments of rest and relaxation, nurturing our relationships and tending to our spirits. Self care also means that we make an effort to get centered and silence all of the “noise” going on inside our mind. This can be done through meditation, prayer or deep breathing exercises. By practicing mindfulness in this way, we will be better able to clear our mind and calm our thinking when faced with moments of stress or turmoil. 

The bottom line is this…none of us wants to reach the point in life where something is so physically or emotionally overwhelming that we feel like we can’t go on. However; like it or not, very few of us make it through life without experiencing those feelings at least once. If we work now to keep ourselves emotionally and physically strong while also taking steps to bolster our internal strength and clarity of mind, we give ourselves every opportunity to not just make it through those moments, but to thrive in spite of them. Nurturing your sisu now will ensure that you have it when you need it.

An important aspect of building up your sisu is to ensure that your body is properly energized. Click the image below to receive our free ebook, “50 FabYOUlous Ways to Energize Your Life”. As a bonus, you’ll also receive our uber-popular ebook, “365 Questions to Help You Find Your Answers” for free.