ökymällä

ökymällä is a Finnish term that roughly translates to "in the not-yet-emptiness" or "in the soon-to-be-empty space". It is a concept that has gained significant attention in modern psychotherapy and pop culture, particularly among Finnish speakers.

The concept of ekonomällä is attributed to Finnish psychologists Pekka Tuomola and Tuomas Vaisala, who introduced it in their 2002 book. They described ökymällä as a state of being, where individuals feel disloyal to memories or relationships because the tangible remnants of these connections, such as possessions, photos or emotions, are no longer present. As a result, the void left by the departure or loss of a relationship or connection creates an existential discomfort.

In therapy, ökymällä is often seen as a coping mechanism that hinders personal growth. It's believed that people may avoid confronting the emptiness, fearing the responsibilities that come with it, such as reorganizing their lives. The perceived discomfort is thought to limit one's intentions to recreate meaningful experiences. Instead, this avoidance strategy maintains an unfulfilling pattern of repetition.

ökymällä can manifest in various ways, from lingering attachments to abandoned relationships to sentimental attachment to mundane or trifling objects. This avoidance mentality, in many cases, blunts one's ability to mourn or let go. By refusing to accept the void, the individual prevents memories from becoming invaluable reflections of personal achievement, love, and other major milestones that may not have lived on in the usual manner.

ökymällä has been seized upon by public figures and media as if it were an icon of a highly disjointed aspect of modern-day human awareness.