{"id":1011,"date":"2025-03-25T08:38:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T09:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=1011"},"modified":"2025-03-26T21:34:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T21:34:24","slug":"i-practised-the-norwegian-art-of-dugnadsand-and-my-mental-health-improved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/i-practised-the-norwegian-art-of-dugnadsand-and-my-mental-health-improved\/","title":{"rendered":"I practised the Norwegian art of Dugnads\u00e5nd \u2014 and my mental health improved"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ever heard of the Norwegian concept of Dugnads\u00e5nd? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to living a healthy, happy <\/a>life, it\u2019s safe to say that Scandinavia <\/a>has it pretty well figured out.<\/p>\n

First came hygge, a Danish concept that, according to the country\u2019s tourist board<\/a>, denotes \u2018creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.\u2019 And now, it\u2019s all about the Norwegian <\/a>art of Dugnads\u00e5nd.<\/p>\n

Coined by the founder of the world\u2019s first Happiness Research Institute Meik Wiking, the concept is all about \u2018community or volunteer<\/a> spirit,’ defining it as \u2018the collective willingness of people to come together in the context of community projects \u2013 emphasising cooperation and selflessness.\u2019<\/p>\n

And, considering that Norway<\/a> currently ranks in seventh place on The World Happiness Report<\/a> (while its Scandinavian siblings Denmark and Sweden<\/a> sit in second and fourth place respectively), it\u2019s probably worth taking a leaf or two out of their book.<\/p>\n

In 2024, 32.9% of Norway\u2019s population spent time volunteering, while in the UK, just shy of 31.1% of people did the same. So, clearly we\u2019re doing <\/em>it \u2013 but what meaning does it hold for our mental wellbeing?<\/p>\n

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Volunteering can foster ‘a sense of purpose and belonging’ (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic<\/a> tells Metro<\/strong>, volunteering can foster a \u2018sense of purpose and belonging,\u2019 both of which are crucial for mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\u2018When we help others, we experience a natural boost in mood, often due to the release of feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine,\u2019 Dr Elena explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018It can also reduce stress, combat loneliness and create a sense of achievement, all of which are protective factors against anxiety and depression.\u2019<\/p>\n

Along these lines, she notes that humans are \u2018inherently social,\u2019 and \u2018feeling connected to a community gives us a sense of identity and support.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018It can make challenges feel more manageable, increase resilience and even improve physical health by lowering stress levels,\u2019 she adds.<\/p>\n

\u2018In a world where loneliness is on the rise, having a strong sense of community can be one of the most powerful buffers against mental health struggles.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dr Kathrine McAleese, 47, runs the soup club in her village in County Down, Northern Ireland, providing three homemade soups every Wednesday lunchtime \u2013 as well as bread rolls, coffee and tea \u2013 for free.<\/p>\n

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Dr Kathrine runs her local soup club (Picture: Dr Kathrine McAleese)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where Kathrine lives, which is \u2018far from civilisation in a village on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula,\u2019 she\u2019s found building connections to be a truly \u2018special\u2019 thing.<\/p>\n

\u2018It’s definitely helped me feel more connected and more empowered to contribute to the community,\u2019 she shares.<\/p>\n

\u2018I get to welcome people in, make them feel valued, catch up with their lives and hang out with the helper team who also want to serve others and build community, so on both sides it’s comforting.<\/p>\n

\u2018I also tend to be a bit of a hermit through the winter when the weather is awful, so this gets me out of my shell to look out for others and get a place ready for them that will give them warmth, sustenance and company.\u2018<\/p>\n

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Susan repairs hats at two repair shops (Picture: Susan Widlake)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elsewhere, 56-year-old Susan Widlake volunteers at both the Bury St Edmunds and Radwinter Repair Cafes primarily repairing hats \u2013 and loves connecting with the local communities over the nostalgic belongings they bring in to be fixed.<\/p>\n

\u2018The conversations which are had when you are repairing an object are wonderful, with folk reminiscing about the object and previous owners,\u2019 Susan, who lives in Saffron Walden, reflects.<\/p>\n

\u2018Personally, I’ve loved hearing about hats that have been up mountains in Nepal, or ones which had been a mum’s \u201cgardening\u201d hat.<\/p>\n

\u2018I love having conversations with people and them saying \u201coh, you’re the hat lady\u201d or hearing stories from people about \u201chow some clever ladies repaired a worn out teddy bear\u201d and knowing that I was part of the contribution behind it.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Susan also recently repaired a beloved teddy bear (Picture: Susan Widlake)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Susan, one of the best parts is the connections she\u2019s built with other repairers \u2013 one of whom even gifted her two hat blocks, the wooden shape that\u2019s used to help craft them.<\/p>\n

\u2018I repaired an old school boater which had belonged to a lady’s son who had passed away far too young, and I’ve actually met some professional costumer designers and seamstresses. It\u2019s amazing just to sit and chat with them,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

\u2018What drives me in volunteering is making people smile. I like to have a way to share my skills, and show the beauty of being able to sit, sew and repair something is a great way to escape from the business of everyday life.\u2019<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever heard of the Norwegian concept of Dugnads\u00e5nd? (Picture: Getty Images) When it comes to living a healthy, happy life, it\u2019s safe to say that Scandinavia has it pretty well figured out. First came hygge, a Danish concept that, according to the country\u2019s tourist board, denotes \u2018creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1011"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1019,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011\/revisions\/1019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}