ARTICLE AD
Is it possible for something truly wonderful to ruin your life? Well, yes. And something amazing ruined mine, at least for a while. What was it?
My trip to Europe. Yep, the wonderful, magical, gorgeous time I had in Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges as well as a previous trip to London basically ruined my life. How?
Well, I loved everything about it and I want to go back every single day. In fact, my biggest dream, to go to Italy because of my Italian heritage is still ahead of me, and I know it’s just going to make it worse.
What did I love so much? How did I bring it back to my life, and how can these seven amazing Euro habits simplify your life while making it 1000x more enjoyable? Let’s bring a little bit of that magic into our daily lives together!
Euro Habits that Are Simple Yet Wonderful!
First of all, it’s important to remember that Europe is a modern place full of all the complications and problems we all have. It isn’t actually a dream. It’s real. And I’m sure there are people there with the same stresses you and I have. I saw them! I met them!
That being said, they stick to some old habits that make those stresses just a little more bearable. Those habits can work for us too! They can help us pause and enjoy the good stuff just a little bit more and they can even help us enjoy the minimalist lifestyle in a more authentic way.
1: La Passaggiate
The first, maybe biggest thing, I enjoyed about the European cities we traveled in was the walkability. I live in a world where you can’t really get anywhere without a car so the fact that I could walk for ten to twenty minutes to go to dinner and then walk back at a leisurely pace was amazing. It was great for my digestion too! I literally never got heartburn over there!
In Italy it’s common for people to go on a stroll in the evening through the central area of their village or city. They call that “la passaggiate” and it’s main function is to enjoy connections with your community and to enjoy a little bit of calm movement.
So how can we bring “la passaggiate” into our every day lives? It can be tricky because in America a lot of cities are not walkable and not really sociable or even centralized.
Still, you can make it a habit to take a small stroll with someone in your family in the evening. And on the weekend you can go to the downtown of your city and enjoy a little look around. Go to the park for a leisurely walk where you watch the ducks or sit on a bench to read. Be open to visiting with people you meet along the way. Take advantage of any little opportunity to walk and enjoy your surroundings and start enjoying the benefits of “la passaggiate”!
2: Ferragosto
Another one of the Euro habits that can simplify your life is the idea of Ferragosto. The literal Ferragosto is August 15th and is a religious holiday but the idea of Ferragosto is the idea of taking a nice long vacation, putting everything on hold to rest and enjoy your family. This is an idea that is common across Europe. More time off, more travel, more true relaxation.
On both our trips to Europe, one in April and the other in July, we observed European tourists all over the place, even many French speaking tourists in Paris itself.
In America it’s hard to take vacation. Even when you do get a vacation, do you check your email and answer calls? Do you travel? Do you rest? If we want to enjoy life more we have to do just that, enjoy it. We have to turn off our work brains and focus on our families, our interests, our rest. If we do, we can do our work better when we return to it.
3: Aperitivo
One thing that we did struggle with when we went to Europe was the fact that dinner is quite late. The answer to that is one of the funnest Euro habits, aperitivo. In Italy this comprises of snacks and drinks with friends. In France there is a late afternoon snack time called gouter and in England there is tea time.
How can we bring aperitivo into our lives? While it may not be practical to meet up with friends for a drink before dinner every night there is nothing wrong with a mid or late afternoon break. I love to have at least a cup of tea around three or four. Sometimes I have a piece of fruit or chocolate or some other little nibble. I often take that time to visit with my mom or text a friend or write.
Look for a little break, a little snack, slow down for just a bit in the afternoon so you can go back to all your evening activities refreshed!
4: Il Dolce Far Niente
I have this great picture I took of a woman at a window bar in a cafe in Paris looking so Parisienne. She wasn’t looking at her phone or reading a book or doing anything really. She was just staring off into space thinking, thinking deeply, philosophically.
How often do you see that? Someone doing nothing? How often do you do that? Nothing? In Dutch they call it niksen, in Spain they have their siesta, and in Italian they call it “il dolce far niente” which means “the sweetness of doing nothing. In America we call it wasting time. Doesn’t that just tell you something?
So how do we learn to enjoy “Il dolce far niente” in our productivity obsessed culture? Well, when I think about this I always think of my grandpa, my Nonno. He was the cutest little Italian gentleman you will ever meet and he would often say, “I’m not sleeping. I’m just resting my eyes.” He would also sit and just listen to music, and he loved to people watch at McDonalds.
Is it really so wrong to just stop and do nothing once in a while? I love being productive but I can tell you I come up with my best ideas and my best problem solving solutions when I give myself permission to sit with nothing in my ears, nothing on my eyes, and just my own thoughts in my brain. Give yourself permission to stop and enjoy “il dolce far niente”.
5: Hygge
Now that we are getting relaxed it’s time to start thinking about how to get cozy, how to build relationships with family and friends, and how to enjoy yummy treats. And that brings me to one of my favorite Euro habits, the Danish art of hygge!
How can you enjoy the hygge lifestyle? It’s simple! Bake something yummy, throw a game night for your friends, sit by the fire with a good book, and cultivate contentment as you enjoy the simple things in life!
6: La Bella Figura
The next of the Euro habits to simplify your life is the idea of “la bella figura”. We all know the Europeans are more stylish than us. When we were there we did not see one person (who wasn’t American) in workout clothes, sweatpants, or pajamas. We did see a lot of classic, timeless styles worn in effortlessly cool ways.
But how does that simplify your life? Doesn’t being fashionable mean getting more clothes? Not at all! Most Europeans own significantly less clothing than Americans because they favor the classics, quality, and versatility, not to mention they generally live in smaller spaces. The idea of a capsule wardrobe is completely normal in Europe and yet they all look amazing all the time. No really. They do.
But “la bella figura” doesn’t stop there. La bella figura embodies the entire idea of presenting your best self to others which includes having good manners, personal confidence, and dignity, while treating others with courtesy and grace. Isn’t that beautiful? How much of that do you see when you go to the store, the restaurant, and work? Wouldn’t it be lovely to see more of it? Start by presenting la bella figura yourself!
7: Work to Live
Finally, something that seems to really stands out when you speak with Europeans is the lack of interest in what you do for work. Why is that? Because, the emphasis is not put on defining your worth or identity by your job. I found that very refreshing, especially since I’m used to being looked down on for being a cleaning lady and a blogger here in the states.
People in Europe generally draw a strong line between work and the rest of their lives and they are more interested in what they do in their free time than what they do for money. This work to live thinking is so much easier to deal with than the high pressure live to work norm we are used to. It allows for growth and change and interesting hobbies that feed the creativity and social connections of the person.
So how can you work to live instead of living to work? It’s not easy but you can do it! Set boundaries with your employer. Take time off for important family events, don’t work extra shifts, be clear about your values. And more than that, change your perspective on work. What you do for a living doesn’t define you. How much you earn doesn’t relate to your value as a person. You work to pay the bills. That’s it.
If you are going to adopt only one of these Euro habits let finding a good work life balance be the one!
Enjoy These Great Euro Habits that Simplify Your Life!
Now you can see what I came to understand. You don’t have to go to Europe to enjoy life. You can just make your life more European! More laid back, more quality focused, more restful. Focus on the beauty in your life and find contentment in the small things. These Euro habits are going to help!
Really, that’s what the minimalist lifestyle is all about, simplifying your life, and as Joshua Becker puts it, “the intentional promotion of the things we value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.”
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About the Author: Jessalynn Jones writes her blog Doable Simplicity to help you make minimalism a part of your life to help you achieve your goals. Her helpful tips are all about making life easier so you can enjoy it more!
