How to Stay Sane in America, According to My European Husband
Practical advice from a confused newcomer
My husband moved from his home country of Denmark, ranked the Second Happiest Country on Earth, to the U.S. two and a half years ago, landing just a few months before the COVID outbreak.
Virus or no virus, he quickly learned that, while cute Europeans are busy measuring their happiness levels, here in America, we’re just trying to keep it together and not lose our sh*t, fighting for both our survival and our sanity.
Success in the U.S. is not measured in happiness and the common good; it’s measured in stuff and outdoing your neighbor. In our dog eat dog country, every man is for himself. And that is a recipe for insanity.
But, sentiments aside, here are a few practical tips from my husband on staying sane in this weird country of ours.
Don’t read (American) news
During his first few months in America, my husband couldn’t get enough of American television. It was exotic, sensational, and highly addictive. Yet he quickly learned that in America, it’s not news, it’s “anxiety reports.”
“It seems like the only purpose of TV or newspaper reporting in the U.S. is to give you anxiety,” my husband noticed.
