When you’re a kid, summer seems like an endless expanse of time. It’s a sea of time, open and vast. Sometimes a little overwhelming, but also amazing. A whole summer to lounge about with your pals, swim and enjoy the sunshine. I still think that way, even though I work and don’t ever really stop. Summer is a time when things close down and you’re allowed to do very little for a long time. A time to recharge.

When I was a kid, the world did literally stop. All of Sweden’s industry closes its doors and nobody works for about five weeks. You take the whole summer off. It’s carved into our communal psyche that nothing happens in summer and that there are no services available.

It’s not the same in the UK. People take a week here or there for a holiday, but it’s more restrained. I have always thought that Swedes love summer because it feels like a reward, for surviving the long, dark winter. This is why Swedes shed their clothes and worship the light when it arrives. No job is more important than enjoying summer.

Having lived in Glasgow for a good few years now, I firmly believe that this mindset should be applied here too. The Scottish winters are awful: dark, rainy, cold, damp and without the fun of snow. So, I would encourage anyone living in the UK to start embracing the Scandi summer vibe. This means cancel meetings, leave work and don’t go back for a full month. It’s the only way to live. Unless you sell ice cream.

Gabi Froden

https://tp.media/click?shmarker=510460&promo_id=2060&source_type=banner&type=click&campaign_id=84&trs=289294

Read the feature on issuu