These next couple of weeks I’m going to be trying something I’ve never done before; a multi-part blog series. I figure, if Shane Dawson can bring it to the forefront of youtube, I may as well give it a go on WordPress. I actually wrote the first two ‘instalments’ months ago, but never got round to finishing up the others. However, my logic is that if I start posting them then the pressure will be on for me to finish the rest. This series is going to be made up of me trying practices from all over the world that claim to be the key to happiness. Hygge hit headlines in recent years (and I will be giving it a go) but it seems like every country has its own philosophy of finding joy, and I’m going to give you the roundup of which ones are best. Rather than bung it all into one menacingly long mega-post, there’s going to be 6 posts over the next few weeks as I explore each philosophy one by one. Wish me luck, and I hope you enjoy.

Right lads, I don’t think we need to try any of the other practices, this one has hit it out of the park on the first attempt. The Finns are the most advanced nation on the planet, and they’ve got it all figured out.

What Is It?

Does what it says on the tin, strip down to your pants and get a bit tipsy. Binge on all the snacks, Netflix, and Instagram you want without a gram of guilt. It’s even included on Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website because it’s that integral.



Giving It A Go

At 8pm my alarm went off. It was time to put down the revision and move onto preparing for my night of Kulsarikanni. Popcorn went in the microwave, I put on a t-shirt and pants, and cracked open a bottle of Malibu. I generally have a rule that I don’t drink alone, to make sure my relationship with alcohol stays a healthy one, but tonight we were hitting the bottle alone. I poured a big slug of the tropical rum into a glass of orange juice and snuggled up in bed with a Ryan Reynolds rom-com and my snacks. Halfway through the film, I decided my meagre serving of “Just kernels from the health store, no chemicals or artificial (delicious) buttery flavouring” popcorn wasn’t quite hitting the spot. Off I went to make myself a delicious wrap full of melted cheese and chilli flakes, and then I returned to my cosy spot with another glug of Malibu. Now slightly tipsy, I ended the film in tears because I was just so overjoyed to see Ryan Reynolds find love. Next stop, some tunes. I put on my headphones, found my Disney playlist, and the dancing began. Picture me in pants, fluffy mismatched socks and a t-shirt, jamming in my room with not a shred of regret. The playlist was more than a little erratic, moving from “Be Our Guest” – Beauty and the Beast, to “Pony” – Genuwine, to “September” – Earth Wind and Fire. After a good 40 minutes of dad dancing, my legs were tired and I had to call it a day.

I spend a lot of time watching Netflix and eating snacks, so I didn’t expect to find this all that exciting.

However, the difference is that this was something I was doing deliberately. It wasn’t procrastination that I felt guilty about, I’d set this time aside specifically to relax.

Because of that, it was actually relaxing, rather than leaving me anxious about the fact I should be working. That’s one of the things I’m taking away from this, to block out time for myself to just pig out and chill, and enjoy it. I’ve only spent 3 hours Kulsarikanni-ing yet I feel so much better than when I spend a whole day watching Netflix and resenting myself for it. I’m sure the alcohol also helps, but I’ve had a great time. Drinking alone is a cultural taboo in the UK, but no-one would judge me if I went out with friends and drunk much much more than I did tonight. What’s wrong with having a ‘big night in’ alone, as long as you keep everything in moderation? I wouldn’t advise you to eat junk and have a couple of drinks often, but occasionally it’s a great way to wind down and spend some quality time enjoying your own company. I also think I burnt about 1000 calories with my bizarre tipsy dancing, a cross between a dad at the office party and a toddler pageant ‘talent’ routine.

Hanging around in my pants is also an opportunity to get some body confidence.

I was forced to spend the night hanging out with my cellulite, and pasty legs, and scarred knees.

When you’re having fun, and have had a drink or two, you stop giving a damn about these tiny things, and can just be comfortable with your own body. I don’t think that as Brits we spend enough time in non-sexual (near)nudity. We can be a bit prudish even when we’re alone, choosing to ignore all the bits we don’t like rather than accepting our body as it is. I think the reason this is such a fun tradition is because you’re not doing it for anyone else. It’s having a laugh purely for yourself, you don’t have to wash your hair, or mind your manners, or pretend to like someone. I can choose a film I like, have snacks I like, pick the songs I like, sit how’s comfortable for me, dance like an idiot, hog all the blankets, and no-one else is there to care. I love spending time alone, so this comes pretty naturally to me, but I think anyone would really enjoy it if they gave it a chance.

I liked this so much that I even gave it a second go a couple of months later. Less dancing was involved, and I instead watched Venom with a glass of Schnapps and a pile of Easter chocolate. Venom was far from a cinematic masterpiece, but it was another relaxing evening.

Scoreboard

Cost: 4/5

If you go to Lidl and get yourself a £5 bottle of Peach Schnapps, the budget for this whole night can be pretty low.

Time Commitment: 3/5



You probably want to set aside 2-4 hours for this, to really get into the spirit of fully relaxing and drinking.

Joy Factor: 5/5

I honestly had such a laugh doing this and felt more blissfully relaxed than I have in a while.

Overall Score: 12/15