Posted on December 23, 2020 | Views: 450
cwebb2020-12-23T03:13:21-08:00
by Olga Mecking: In Poland, the concept of ‘Jakoś to będzie’ is acting without worrying about the consequences. It’s reaching for the impossible. It’s taking risks, and not being afraid…
Words like ‘hygge‘ (Danish), ‘gezelligheid’ (Dutch) and ‘lagom‘ (Swedish) have become very popular in recent years. But fans of these fuzzy-sounding concepts often miss the point that Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden are well-off, politically stable countries with excellent social support, education and healthcare systems. Their philosophies can be difficult to apply to other, less-fortunate nations. Learning about happiness from the Scandinavians can feel a little like learning about money from a millionaire when you struggle financially.
OPEN
by Frankie Bridge (Octopus £18.99, 256pp)
Pop star Frankie Bridge was at the height of her career with The Saturdays when she suffered a breakdown aged 23 and was hospitalised in 2012.
For years she tried to cover up her mood swings and panic attacks, ashamed of being paralysed by depression when to the outside world she appeared to have everything.
Her book is part-memoir, part-self-help manual, tracing the roots of her mental illness to her undiagnosed anxiety during childhood, but focusing on the positive steps anyone can take towards healing. This is no celebrity wallow in gloom Frankie’s coping mechanisms have worked well for her and she earnestly wants to share them.