WILDERNESS CURE

With doctors now 'prescribing' Sweden for your health, Annabel Grossman shares her experience of ditching her phone in one of the most remote regions in Scandinavia

- Annabel Grossman

The news that doctors are now able to prescribe “Sweden” may well just be a stunt by a clever tourist board, but I think they're onto something. In summer 2023, on the verge of burnout, I threw together a backpack with a tent, sleeping bag, cooking stove, freeze-dried food and waterproofs, and headed to Swedish Lapland for a hike that would take me to one of the remote places in Europe. Crucially, I left my phone behind.

Visit Sweden says: “Sweden’s unique way of life, rooted in balance and with easy access to both nature and culture, makes it an ideal place to reset your mind and body.” Listed activities for the prescription include wild swimming, sleeping under the stars, sauna bathing and listening to one of Sweden’s metal bands.

While, personally, I would give the heavy metal a miss, I can attest to the power of the country’s nature for physical and mental health. This is what happened when I gave myself over to the Swedish wilderness for five days.

The seemingly endless drizzle continues. I’m sitting in a valley in the shadow of the mighty Kebnekaise mountain in Lapland, somewhere (I’m not entirely sure where) along the Kungsleden Trail. My feet are throbbing inside my hiking boots, my back aches from the 15kg I’ve been hauling along the rocky landscape, and the cold is steadily seeping through my layers.

But more striking than any discomfort is the tranquillity. The mist sits gently over the valley in the early evening light, while long-tailed skua swoop low past our camp. Just minutes before, a herd of wild reindeer ambled along the ridge.

Perhaps this quiet content comes from the rugged beauty of the Scandinavian wilderness. Perhaps it comes from being 50km from the nearest road. Or perhaps it’s because I haven’t so much as glanced at my phone in the last 72 hours.