How One Danish Word Can Help Your Life Balance
When juggling competing demands, do you have a hard time saying “no?” A Danish psychologist suggests one word that may help you do so in a more healthy way.
Marie Helweg-Larsen, a native Dane and Professor of Psychology at Dickinson College, is fond of pointing out Danish words that can help cultivate well-being.
The Danes have serious credibility when it comes to quality of life. Denmark, a small country with long, dark winters, consistently “dominates” the global rankings in the World Happiness Report, which compares the subjective well-being of people worldwide.
So consider the Danish word “overskud.” It roughly translates to excess, or going above and beyond. “In an economic context it means profit,” Helweg-Larsen explains, “but in everyday speech it’s used to refer to having the energy, willingness or resources to tackle a task or a problem.”
The term is generally a positive one. It might become a modifier to describe an over-the-top achievement, or something especially well done: an “overskuds-breakfast” would be elaborate and delicious or an overskuds-dad would go the extra mile to engage in meaningful activities with his children.
On the whole, the concept of overskud is cheered on by Danes. “After all,” she reasons in an article for The Conversation, “who wouldn’t want to have extra energy and bandwidth to tackle life?”
How “overskud” can help you say “no”
How can a word that essentially means “more” help you do less?
The term is especially valuable in preserving a sense of balance which is vital to our wellbeing.
Our energies are finite. Any psychologist will emphasize that maintaining healthy boundaries is key to mental health, says Helweg-Larsen.
“Importantly, the word overskud is also used to clearly communicate when people cannot tackle an event, task or obligation.”
“Instead of saying ‘I’m swamped,’ a Dane might say they don’t have enough “overskud” to go to a party,” she explained. “It’s basically a shorthand way to say, in a nonjudgmental way, that something sounds like fun, and you would love to do it, but you simply don’t have the energy.”
Similarly, Danes will use the verb form, saying, “I just cannot overskue doing something” to emphasize they do not have the energy to tackle an enormous project, like planning a major event or deep-cleaning the house.
“Essentially, the Danes use the words overskud and overskue to say, ‘No,’ and there’s an unspoken understanding that it’s nothing personal,” she says.
Try communicating Danish style
So if you have difficulty saying “no,” try taking a page from the Danes. The concept of overskue offers enormous freedom, allowing you to say “no” to some things so you can say “yes” to others. That way you can maintain healthy boundaries, invest your energies wisely, and preserve your relationships – and a bit of joy! – in the bargain.
For more Danish phrases that foster mental well-being, read Professor Helweg-Larsen’s full article here.
Or read more on “Why Denmark Dominates the World Happiness Rankings Year After Year.”
Read the 2023 World Happiness Report in its entirety here.
Helweg-Larsen, Marie. “How to deal with holiday stress, Danish style.” The Conversation, 6 Dec 2022, https://theconversation.com/how-to-deal-with-holiday-stress-danish-style-195522.