BOOK REVIEW: The Finnish Way by Katja Pantzar

Pages:  225

Ideal Reader:  Someone looking for a holistic practical approach to better mental health and overall well-being.

Ideal Issues Addressed:

• Personal Growth
• Mild Anxiety & Depression
• Disconnecion from Nature
• Alternative coping strategies for mental health concerns to combine with therapy.

Summary:

This book provides a practical “guide” or suggestions to creating and having a happier and healthier life based on Nordic ideas and beliefs about nature, movement as medicine, exercise, healthy eating, and the power of sisu to help one accomplish their goals and achieve physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

How it can Help:

• Introduces the reader to sisu and offers practical, simple suggestions on how to strengthen the sisu found in every individual no matter his or her location, lifestyle, or beliefs.
• Provides simple, easy, and doable ways of maintaining a healthier and happier lifestyle without harsh changes to your current routines or lifestyle.
• Suggests holistic way to manage mental health and physical issues based on Finnish beliefs and back by scientific research from experts.  (Note, this does not replace the advice or help from a mental health provider or medical doctor. Suggestions can be integrated into your current treatments and should include a discussion with appropriate providers).
• Offers tips and summaries for easy references when making changes.

Therapist’s Reflections:

I was walking through Barnes & Noble on a typical Thursday morning where I practice weekly self-care when I glanced upon this book awaiting my gaze on the new release table.  Upon examining the cover I knew immediately that I had to adopt it. I had first encountered sisu as a teenager on a trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula where my grandparents were born and had recently moved back.  On that trip I learned a little about our Finnish heritage and the concept of sisu really spoke to me.  It’s been a key concept in understanding who i am all my life.  Naturally, I was excited to learn more about sisu, and with it, more of who I was, who my family was, and more about my Finnish heritage.  This book did not disappoint and it often gave me the feeling of home and gave an explanation of some of the things my family did, such as the sauna and a cottage home in the woods on the shoreline of Lake Superior where we’d collect wild blueberries after swimming in the frigid water.  Warmth and nostalgia flowed from the pages straight to my heart.

However, nostalgia was not the only thing I took away from this book.  I gained a deeper understanding of sisu,  how it comes to being in everyday life, and how to strengthen it with simple DIY activities.  I reminded myself while stabbing 330 pieces of fruit and my finger in an effort to provide a birthday treat that all of my daughter’s classmates could enjoy despite allergies that this is how I strengthen my sisu.  This book was also inspiring and motivating for me to try new things.  I found myself swimming in a chilly pond in September and trying to take cold showers to gain some of the benefits of “winter swimming” (clearly a work in progress) to improve health and strengthen sisu as well.  Future research in continuing is needed, but it’s a start.  In addition, I found myself making small changes in include more exercise, movement, and healthy eating into my routine.  It’s a work in progress as a figure out what works for me and what doesn’t. This is still progress being made to achieving a healthier, happier lifestyle and as Katja Pantzar states, about sisu is that “It doesn’t need to be a big great thing like working toward an Olympic win.  It can start with very small steps that lead to larger ones.” (p. 214) and that “the most important aspect of healthy sisu is finding what works for you” (p. 215).  This book is inspiring, encouraging, and practical in strengthening sisu.  It’s a small step, that could lead to much larger ones, for not only myself, but for other readers as well.