I am embracing a new word (at least for me)…Pyt . What a magical Danish word that immediately defuses and de-stresses annoyances and inconveniences. While the Danes haven’t cornered the market on de-stressing they are considered one of the happiest nations and have shared the concept of “hygge” with the rest of the world (click here to read my post from 2017 on hygge). The word pyt, while not having a direct translation to English, reflects the art of letting go of things out of our control and helps us refocus our energy in the present moment. A reminder to be return to mindfulness amidst annoyance, frustration or stress. Pyt is such a popular word/concept in Denmark, that it was chosen as the nation’s favorite word in a competition held by the Danish Library Association in 2018. Karen Rosinger in her article What to do When Hygge No Longer Works describes pyt in this way: “Pyt’ is used to express that you accept a situation is out of your control, and even though you might be annoyed or frustrated, you decide not to waste unnecessary energy on thinking more about it. You accept it and move on. ‘Pyt’ is also used to comfort other people and diffuse unfortunate situations.”
Pyt buttons are used in Danish schools to help students reset and refocus after an annoyance. You can even purchase your own “Pyt” button for your desk, similar to the ubiquitous Staples “Easy” button of a few years back. We all need a little more pyt in our lives, to help us be a bit more compassionate and forgiving with ourselves and others. Let’s embrace this magical word.