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Key points
- People increase their stress levels by dwelling on small inconveniences and injustices.
- Instead of sweating the small stuff, a healthier, happier approach is to let it go.
- The Danish concept of "pyt" embraces the idea that it's not worth overreacting to issues and events that won't matter in the long run.
In Danish vernacular, “pyt” (pronounced pid) is a full word, an interjection that means “Let it go,” “Oh, well!” or “Everything is OK.” Pyt is an expression that reminds you not to overreact to minor everyday events that are out of your control: A meeting is held up because someone is late. You find a crack in your favorite coffee mug. The bus is late. The car in front of you is driving too slowly.
Instead of feeling annoyed, frustrated, upset, or even angry, pyt is a reminder that these are inevitable and very small problems that occur often in day-to-day life. There’s no gain from blaming yourself or anyone else for minor hassles and mistakes. In that sense, pyt can be an antidote to perfectionism.
Americans might say, “Take a deep breath,” “Keep your cool,” “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” “Don’t worry about it,” or simply, “Let it go!” The Danish version goes a step further in that pyt is not only a word; it is something of a philosophical approach to any unfortunate but ultimately unimportant event.
Pyt is about accepting that little things go wrong all the time, and there’s no benefit to getting worked up over them. It is a reminder to refocus, avoid negative thoughts and feelings that only cause more stress, and stop blaming yourself or others; just move on. By doing so, you can avoid runaway emotions that only get you agitated and even more upset. Instead, you learn to be more compassionate and accepting of yourself and others and the relative unimportance of most of the mistakes we all make or little accidents we all have on a day-to-day basis. You not only say “pyt”; you live pyt.
Using pyt doesn’t mean suppressing honest feelings of disappointment or irritation. It means not wasting any more time or energy on a disappointing or irritating situation than it’s worth. Another important aspect of pyt is that a problem is often only as big as you choose to make it. Pyt comes down to maintaining perspective and avoiding overreaction and judgment.
While pyt is an important de-stressor for ordinary occurrences, it doesn’t apply to more serious or intentional wrongs. Nor is it appropriate for situations in which you or someone else should, in fact, take responsibility for wrongdoing or take action to correct a major mistake. Pyt only applies to those issues that really don’t matter much in the scheme of things, the types of mistakes, damages, or minor injustices that will soon be forgotten.
Pyt is an example of how language can affect the way you feel and how you view yourself and the world around you. It’s about awareness of the added stress you put on yourself with a cynical attitude and with any negative language you use about yourself and others. Learn pyt, and you may soon find yourself moving closer to “lykke,” another favorite Danish single-word-and-cultural concept-in-one that expresses a life filled with positive emotions and a state of overall happiness.
