I consider myself a lifelong learner. Learning for enjoyment is one of the best forms of self-improvement you can do.  I enjoy reading, learning new skills, and taking up new hobbies, but my favorite of all is learning new languages. Over my life, I have taken up learning at least 4 or 5 languages (though I will confess retention isn’t my strong suit; I remember a passable amount of maybe 1.5 of those languages.) Currently, I am teaching myself Swedish with the aid of the vast and knowledgeable Internet. This includes lots of learning about the culture and the ideas of Sweden, so when I stumbled across a word so perfect and without comparison in the English language, I knew I had to share it: Smultronställe.

In the hectic lives that most of us live, having even a simple place of solace is such an important form of self-care. According to a survey done by the American Psychological Association in 2018, 64% of all adults reported having significant stress about money or work.  It’s no wonder anxiety and other mental and emotional health issues are on the rise. Smultronställe is all about having a place that is yours to return to time and time again to let the troubles of life melt away. It’s a place of contemplation—of peace and quiet. It could even be a time in your life; a memory which is particularly poignant and feels like a respite from the daily grind. Thinking about it brings a smile to your face, even sitting in traffic or waiting at the doctor’s office. For me, it’s a certain rock overlooking the beach in Yachats, Oregon. 

Do you have ett smultronställe? Think about places or times in your life that you feel the most at peace. It doesn’t have to be a cool spot in nature, like a mountain top or the beach. It might be somewhere even more simple, like a cozy cafe, or a bookstore, or even the bathtub after the kids have all gone to bed. Or maybe a day at the spa…

The point is, this is a place or time you feel particularly strongly about. It’s somewhere you cherish. Once you figure out where your smultronställe is, make it a point to return to this place more frequently. Allow yourself to return-- physically or mentally-- to your smultronställe whenever you start feeling overwhelmed. What you do there is up to you. But whatever it is, make sure you enjoy it, are fully present in the moment, and don’t make it stressful.