Fuckin’ Iceland: an antidote to a stressful life
Introduction
In the summer of 2021, I spent four months volunteering in Iceland. I wrote an entire blog on what I did and how I managed to do it. But in that blog I didn’t really talk about Iceland itself. Why did I pick Iceland, when I could’ve gone anywhere in Europe? The answer is very simple and consists of two main reasons.
First, I wanted to escape the neck-breaking pace that dominates mainland Europe. Everything here (in Belgium) seems to have an expiration date, pushing me to move faster than I’d like to. Consequently, that makes the population busy, stressed, and a lot less sociable overall. This culture of go-getters and workaholics made me feel alienated. Depending on my level of confidence, I’d feel isolated - I’d feel either the only sane or crazy person for wanting something else.
Secondly, I wanted to get closer to untamed nature. Where I live it’s mostly flat, with buildings and streets everywhere! It’s very hard, if not impossible, to find any untamed nature. This overexposure of human influence on everything that meets the eye is tiring. I’m the type of person who recharges when surrounded by nature, peace, and quiet, but that’s just awfully difficult to find in a country like Belgium.
I picked Iceland because it was the furthest I could get from mainland Europe. That was my first motive. After I made my decision, I started to read more about the country. I learned that it’s a volcanic island. I learned that the people are remarkable and scarce, and I learned that nature can get as wild as you want it to. I figured that Iceland just might fulfill my deepest yearnings. Spoiler: It did all of that and more!
In this blog I explore how Iceland set everything in place to create a space for deep healing. I dive a bit deeper in its culture and nature, trying to pinpoint what exactly about this country made me feel so liberated.
Culture
þetta reddast
Icelanders have a very laid back mentality. The phrase ‘þetta reddast,’ which is somewhat of the country’s motto, underlines that notion precisely. It is used in response to any complicated or frustrating situation that has no apparent solution. It can be translated as “It’ll all work out okay.”
This was quite the culture shock for me at first. I was used to things being in order, precise, and ready for take-off almost 24/7. In Iceland that’s quite different. If something doesn't happen today, it'll happen tomorrow. There’s no point in stressing out over things that are out of your control. Losing mental energy on it is a waste and doesn’t lead to anything positive. I’m pretty sure that the overload of uncontrollable variables in their daily life (e.g. the ever-changing weather, the distances, the sudden sheep on the roads, etc.) caused people to stop worrying. Instead of fussing over uncertain future plans, they take control of the present moment. This forced me to be more solution-oriented in the now, instead of being absorbed by past mistakes. I shifted from a victim's mentality towards a creative, hands-on mentality.
The only thing that we can do is control what we're going to do next.
Fuckin’ Iceland
One evening before an amazing group of volunteers were about to leave, we were all sitting together at the dinner table. The mood was dim. The group hadn’t left yet, and people were already missing each other. We reminisced about our time in Iceland, telling stories of our adventures. A lot of them had a sense of chaos. I noticed everyone somehow talked excitedly about things that weren't as expected or promised. In a normal sense that would make people feel mad or disappointed, but now it was different. Because after the stories came more stories. The volunteers elaborated on their initial negative experience and always countered it with something positive. For example, on the day we couldn’t go to work, we went for a wonderful hike. When a car broke down, we worked together to fix it. And just like that, every bad event always led to a good one. Every ‘sad’ story led to a smile, which eventually led to a tear.
Meanwhile, on the couch was Jakka, a Slovenian Worldwide Friends employee I had never seen before. He was the driver for the next day, so he had driven the whole day from Reykjavik to arrive in the east. His presence was bothering me at first. He had long hair, a messy beard, smoked every ten minutes, and had a beer in his hand from the moment he arrived in the house. I later learned that he was a philosophy graduate. Every once in a while he’d interrupt our special moment with a burp. I guess he was eavesdropping all along.
When we were almost done with our meeting, emotions were high and tears were flowing left and right. Jakka abruptly turned around on his armchair. He looked like he had something to say: “Are you guys saying that despite this mess of an organisation and lack of work you still had an amazing time? Maybe an even better time than when everything would’ve gone to plan?” We stared in silence and eventually nodded. He continued: “I guess you’ve experienced “Fuckin’ Iceland” then. You know, regular Iceland is nice and all. You go on your touristy trips; you see some waterfalls, hang out in the Blue Lagoon and take some pretty pictures in Reykjavik city centre. But you guys have seen the real deal.” Fuckin’ Iceland? What was he talking about? He carried on, not bothering whether anyone was following:
“Fuckin’ Iceland is when everything falls apart perfectly, in order to make space for everything to come back together perfectly. There’s no point in fighting it because in doing, so you don’t allow the flow of nature to do it’s thing.”
I had goosebumps! I just stared at him in amazement. I’ll never forget that moment. For months I’d been trying to figure out what attracted me so much to this country. But there it was: FUCKIN’ ICELAND! Everything that is bad happens for a reason. It creates a space for something else to grow. So instead of looking with sad eyes at how it all crumbles down, you can focus on the opportunities it creates.
Nature
Away from cities and crowds
In Iceland, it’s rather easy to get away from it all. Reykjavik is Iceland’s capital and largest city. It has a population of approximately 130,000, with 216,940 living in the Capital Region (Greater Reykjavik, which refers to Reykjavik itself and the six municipalities around it). Iceland has a population of 360,000, so that means that about two-thirds of the country lives in this tiny Western region. The other third is scattered all over the rest of the island. Check the map to see the vastness of free land!
Of course, there are other towns (or should I say villages?) around the country, but none of them come close to Reykjavik. The second biggest town is Akureyri with a measly 18,000 inhabitants. Everything else that follows barely crosses the 10,000 mark.
Once you leave the Capital Region, you’ll see a lot more sheep than humans.
This truly makes travelling a much more meditative experience. You get to cover vast patches of land without any human interference. The villages you stop in are calm and seem to be built in only the most marveling landscapes. The exploration of the village itself can be over in a heartbeat, but the surrounding nature has a lot more to offer. The people in these places also seem to move at a different pace. When asking them what’s there to see nearby, they’ll probably casually guide you to jaw-dropping waterfalls or magical rock formations.
Endless beauty
For the majority of my four months in Iceland I’ve lived in the Eastfjords. My place was directly at the sea and looked out on a magical mountain ridge. While travelling around, I got to see quite a bit of Iceland. During my stay, I managed to drive around the Ring Road three times. The nature in Iceland is unlike anywhere else in the world. Normally I get lost in thoughts when driving, but here, I was amazed and present every minute. This was so for two simple, yet rare, reasons.
First, there’s no traffic, and straightforward is the only way the main road really goes! As long as you stay on the paved or gravel roads, you can’t really go wrong. They all lead to beautiful sceneries. This makes driving in Iceland a real joy. If you wish to off-road, know that you need a special 4X4 vehicle.
Secondly, the landscape changes continuously. The speed limit is 90 kmph, allowing you to take in the marvelous landscapes while driving. When I visited the Westfjords, I’d have to stop after every fjord because the view was just that breathtaking. Every picture on my phone could’ve been straight out of a book. On casual drives to the supermarket or on the way to a tourist attraction, I’d pull over every once in a while to stop and stare. Truly, the whole country is an attraction. Whichever direction you go, you’ll see beautiful nature.
I can’t really express everything that I’ve seen (pictures do it more justice), but I can tell you what it did to me.
Knowing that there are still untouched places on earth brought a sense of peace over me.
Exploring Iceland also gave me a boost in energy, since there’s still so much to discover. This gave me a bigger perspective on life, in all its forms. There’s so much beauty waiting to be uncovered that staying for too long in one place gives me a little anxiety. Stagnation kills! But don’t get me wrong, this is for sure something positive. It’s the driving force pushing me to travel, explore, risk, and simply live more.
Conclusion: Peace and quiet as a driving force
Regular life can get overwhelmingly busy. So many day-to-day activities can drain your energy levels, leaving you feeling chronically stressed. In that situation it can quickly start to feel like you’re moving on default mode just to get through the day. Getting out of that place and pace is one of the best remedies to feel alive again. And that’s exactly the power that Iceland holds!
The island is a world of its own, and its culture and nature operate on different ground rules. The Icelanders are laid back, yet not lazy (þetta reddast), and live at a calm pace. Being among this mindset automatically makes you shift your perspective. You become critical of the neck-breaking pace that has been normalized in our cultures.
Nature in Iceland is so unlike anywhere else in the world. You’re surrounded by volcanoes, glaciers, hot water rivers, waterfalls, and mountains. The majority of these places are untamed, meaning humans haven’t swarmed them yet as tourist attractions. This rawness gives Iceland a unique character.
Visiting Iceland gives you the opportunity to get as close to nature as you want. You can recharge your batteries and surround yourself with a stillness that hopefully helps you find what really matters.
Blog out,
Durim
