Sparking Sisu: Practice Finnish Fortitude for a Happier and More Resilient Life
by Katja Pantzar
Since moving from North America to Finland many years ago, I’ve become fascinated by sisu, the unique Finnish concept of resilience, courage, and grit in the face of all manner of challenges. For I firmly believe that a good sense of sisu(pronounced “see-su”) holds one of the keys to living a more joyful life.
As Finland has held the title of World’s Happiest Country for five years in a row (2018–2022), according to the UN’s World Happiness Report, it’s fair to say that there’s a strong link between healthy sisu and life satisfaction.
Before giving you simple tips on how to boost your sisu through self-care, a brief backgrounder is in order.
The Seeds of Strength
The Finnish concept of sisu dates back to the 1500s, when it first appeared in written texts referring to both a personality trait and a quality that was part of a person’s nature, the interior or inside of something, or quite literally a person’s “guts.”
In the past, sisu has often been associated with hardcore historical achievements, such as incredible Olympic victories or warding off foreign invaders during wartime.
In recent years, sisu has shifted more into the realm of positive psychology—as a can-do mindset that you can develop—in part due to the pioneering research of the world’s pre-eminent sisu expert, Elisabet Lahti, PhD.
The bottom line is that anyone, anywhere can build up their mental and physical fortitude.
So, how exactly do you spark your sisu? Here are five simple ways:
1. Manage your somatic sisu.
Taking care of your mental and physical well-being, your mind-body, is essential to improving your fortitude. When you feel physically poorly, it will likely impact your mood. And when you feel mentally weak, it will likely impact your physical well-being.
That’s why it’s important to incorporate movement into your day and find a form of activity that you enjoy doing. Whether it’s gentle stretches, a short stroll, getting up from your desk to walk or dance around, or a hard-core gym workout, moving your body can literally help to change your mind.
A strong body can facilitate a strong mind, but it’s important to note that everybody has their own definition of strength. Simply put, fitness means having a body that’s comfortable to live in, that works for you and allows you to take care of your regular daily life.
An excellent sisu hack is the Finnish concept of arkiliikunta, or everyday exercise, which means benefiting from incidental exercise. Walking or biking to work, the grocery store, or a café to meet friends, instead of driving a car, are examples.
When you make arkiliikunta a regular habit, you may find that on the days you skip it you feel less energetic and crave it.
Simple activities such as walking and cycling also have myriad health benefits, from getting your heart rate up to offering many of the muscles in your body a mini-workout and boosting your happy hormones, such as endorphins.
2. Connect with nature sisu.
The Nordic way of life is intricately connected to daily doses of nature, which restore and rejuvenate us while building up our strength. According to the Outdoor Association of Finland, for the average person living in Finland, the natural environment is 200 meters away—and the doors are open 24/7.
Whether by spending time in parks, forests, near or in lakes or the sea, being in nature helps us to restock our depleted energy reserves. And it’s usually a budget-friendly option when compared to an expensive gym membership or a complicated fitness regime. Nature is also the perfect antidote to a non-stop, online, digital lifestyle.
Even spending 15 minutes in a green space has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety.
Activities such as walking, hiking, swimming, and even the Nordic favorite of foraging for berries and mushrooms help our brains and bodies find balance, but they also help us to see the bigger picture and return to our roots. Simply standing by a large, old tree can help to put some of your own problems into perspective.
3. Let it out: Mental health sisu.
Just about everyone struggles with their emotions from time to time, some people more than others.
When you bottle up or dismiss your feelings and don’t deal with them, they can come out in unexpected ways. The simple act of dealing with and talking about what’s on your mind, whether with a professional or a trusted friend, can make a big difference in your mood and how you feel.
When you deal with your own issues, it’s not only good for you but it can also help others (co-workers, friends, family) so that you don’t inadvertently take out your own unresolved issues or traumas on them. This can increase your self-awareness, which helps to build a stronger sense of sisu.
4. Make use of what you have, or pragmatic sisu.
One of the things that I’ve learned to do living in Finland is embrace the elements, whatever they may be. That includes enjoying six months of cold winter weather, which was not the default for someone who grew up predominantly in Vancouver on Canada’s West Coast.
One of the local practices I’ve taken up is winter swimming, practiced during the cold months by taking a dip in the sea or a lake through a hole carved in the ice. A dip of just 30 seconds to a minute has many benefits, including setting off the happy hormones, which leaves swimmers with a post-dip feeling of euphoria.
Winter swimming, a popular pastime, is one of the key practices linked to happiness in Finland.
While winter swimming is an excellent example of sisu for its range of benefits and as an example of doing something that seems difficult (challenging yourself), it’s also an excellent example of turning what may seem like an obstacle into an asset.
Instead of sitting around and complaining about the weather and daydreaming about being on a warm beach, winter swimming is about embracing the circumstances and turning them around to work to your advantage. Winter swimming is also a way to manage both mental and physical health by spending time with other people in an uplifting environment.
5. Sustainability sisu.
A good sense of sisu means making sustainable choices that help, not hinder, life on planet earth. That means taking action and making green choices in the ways we move and eat and how we consume.
On an individual level this includes moving toward a more plant-based diet, reconsidering consumption habits (can you buy secondhand or rent or borrow?), recycling everything possible, and making greener transportation choices.
Here are a few challenges to think about: Would you invest in a few long-lasting, quality pieces of clothing over a large quantity of fast fashion that presents a recycling challenge? Can you carry a reusable bottle for water or a travel mug rather than using single-use or plastic options? Can you try to eliminate food waste by cooking creatively and only putting as much on your plate as you’ll eat?
For when we take care of the planet and others, we also practice self-care and sisu.
. . .
Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based writer, editor, and journalist who swims in the Baltic Sea almost every day—all year round. Raised in Canada, with stints in New Zealand and England, she is the author of The Finnish Way, a bestselling book about Nordic well-being, winter swimming, and sisu. Her newest book, Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life, explores how we can better support our mental and physical health while taking care of each other and our planet.
