Pantsdrunk: Meet the new lifestyle trend that's challenging our ideas of 'self care'

There are lots of lifestyle trends that tell you to switch off your phones, get outside and generally be more minimalist and mindful.

What crops up less often, though, is a ‘how to’ for health which doesn’t demand any particular changes, investments or sacrifices.

One such lifestyle trend is the Finnish speciality of ‘Pantsdrunk’....

Pantsdrunk is an official activity in Finland, and it relies on something called kalsarikänni - a term that literally means “drinking at home, alone, in your underwear”.

It might seem like a joke, but Pantsdrunk represents a serious commitment to self care in its native country.

All you need to make it work is your most comfortable (preferably hideous) underwear, some wool socks, and enjoy a little of what you fancy.

Admittedly, the approach does seem to contradict everything we know and believe about health (inactivity, alcohol....!!!) and there is certainly a wide margin for misinterpretation, BUT... there is also huge scope for wellbeing if adhered to correctly.

One important point to note, is that Pantsdrunk is not about getting drunk, and only advocates drink according to safe and healthy guidelines.

It might seem to some a tad hedonistic, lazy even perhaps, but in a society where many well-intended health trends just don’t seem compatible with the realities of the modern world, there might be something in an alternative approach which is more about letting go and being yourself, than it is striving for change.

Yes, there are factors to take into account, particularly where the alcohol element is concerned, but what this approach does have in its favour is the lack of performance and pretence!

Life can be hard, not to mention expensive, so a formula for relaxation which has simplicity, comfort and affordability as its hallmarks, might just be what we need to make self care work in the mainstream.

Equally, by assuming its advocates have sufficient responsibility, self control and judgement, Pantsdrunk doesn’t patronise like some of the more prescriptive health trends can. Instead, it provides a way to put the ‘fill your cup’ idom into practice, and harness the positivity and happiness that flows when you help yourself, in both senses of the word.