What do you think of when you think of Hygge? I’m guessing candles and blankets probably spring to mind, as do hot drinks, warmth and comfort. This is what I previously thought too. I certainly didn’t think of it in terms of exercise and walks and spending time with friends.
Hygge has been around in the UK for some time now but I have been slow to embrace it. Initially because I didn’t understand it, and then because I was rebelling against what had become (in my opinion) a commercial venture and a way to get us to buy candles and cushions. This is strange because, as my husband will testify, I love both candles and cushions.
However, over the last few months, I have begun to read more and understand what hygge really is. Consequently, I have begun to embrace it in a much more intentional way and realise, it is a way of life I can take forward from winter into spring and beyond.
Starting at the Beginning – So What is Hygge?
Hygge is a Danish word, and according to Meik Wiking from The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Hygge is about ‘atmosphere and experience rather than things.’ It is about feeling safe and comfortable. Hygge is not just cosiness, although that seems to be a positive result of everything which creates Hygge. It is about enjoying the moment, sharing with others, being thankful and finding pleasure in the now.
Ok, So Why Should I Embrace Hygge?
Hygge is about enjoying the moment and making the most of every situation and time we have. Actually life is short, and without becoming too maudlin, we all know life can change in a heartbeat. So, embracing each moment we have and making those moments the best they can be, would seem sensible. This is a significant part of the hygge way of life. If you only get to see your friends every few months, why wouldn’t you want to make the very best of that time. If you are going for a walk, make every effort to enjoy the walk, but ensure the environment you come home to is warm and welcoming and a place you want to be in. If you are cooking dinner, make an extra effort to lay the table and enjoy the experience of cooking and eating, rather than seeing it as a chore
How Can I Create Hygge At Home and Away?
Creating Hygge at home is easy, as I have said, it is about creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Although I have already said hygge is more than candles and cushions, there is something very important about lighting which creates a warm an cosy atmosphere, and candles play an essential part in that. I truly believe any room is made more welcoming with a candle! As I write this at 4pm in the afternoon with daylight outside, I have a candle beside me and a jug of tulips in front of me. Both of these make me happy, and both make the room I’m in more welcoming. Nature and the natural world plays an important part in hygge and Danes love to bring the outdoor in. I’m not suggesting you build a nature table in your kitchen (although that might be fun), but if you are fortunate enough to have a garden, its very easy to bring the outdoor in. If you don’t have a garden, collect things from hedgerows. Cow parsley is abundant almost everywhere!
Staying in a hotel or similar may mean you have less control over your surroundings, but it is still possible to create hygge. We regularly go away with the same group of friends and without us even realising it we have been creating our own hygge for years. Apart from the friendship and pleasure in eating and drinking together, we make wherever we are staying our own with fairy lights, pretty napkins and candles which we take with us. Even in a hotel room I will make sure I have books and my journal beside my bed. I’m a big scarf wearer and when I’m not wearing it, It will be draped over a chair to create familiarity and warmth. All of these small touches make an unfamiliar environment more homely.
How Can I Hygge Without Spending Money?
It dawned on me quite early on that buying things and accumulating stuff is not part of hygge. It isn’t necessary to buy lots of things to create hygge. Most of us, and certainly I include myself in this, have all he ingredients we need to create hygge. Look at what you already have in your home. Making sure those things you already own, are things which you love and make your home feel welcoming and inviting. Remember what we said earlier about Hygge being about atmosphere. Use what you have to create an atmosphere and a home in which you want to spend time. Our homes are our places of safety and refuge (all very hygge). We should look forward to being at home. Surround yourself with those things you already have which make you happy and recycle or pass on those things which don’t.
How Can I Combine Hygge and Work?
In my reading about Hygge, one of the most interesting and startling things I read was around work. Cathy Strongman in The Guardian wrote about the change in work life balance she and her husband experienced when moving to Denmark.
“Work later than 5.30, and the office is a morgue. Work at the weekend,and the Danes think you are mad. The idea is that families have time to play and eat together at the end of the day, every day.”
In Denmark, it is not usual for those with children to leave work at 4 so they can pick them up, and meetings are not scheduled for late in the day, so everyone can leave on time.
For many in the UK, this would seem unattainable and unrealistic. 12 hour days are normal. Parents often have only tiny snatched moments with children before and after long working days. And those of us without children will often find ourselves staying late at work, because we can, or feel we should. Maybe we can’t change the hours we work, but we can change how we spend the time we have at home. Turning off the phone, or hiding it under a cushion at least and reading a book, or giving the person you are talking to your full attention is a start!
Can I Practice Hygge all Year Round?
YES! Some of my most recent experiences of Hygge have involved snow and a log cabin and hot chocolate. All very cliched you might say, but it actually helped me understand how the concept of hygge works all year round. The most rewarding hygge is often a result of doing something outside, it is about coming in from the cold, finding warmth and yes cosiness and comfort. This works wonderfully well in winter. In summer when the weather is warmer, I believe the same principal can be applied. Think about swimming in the sea, the cold, refreshing water. Then think about how it feels when you run back to the beach and wrap your self in a towel and dry in the sun. Thats hygge too. Camping and living out in the open air is hygge. Sitting around a camp fire or even in the garden as the light goes down and the fairy lights come on is hygge. Going for picnics with friends and family, gathering together on the beach, just sharing and being together. All of these things have within them the core components of hygge.
So despite my initial reluctance, it seems that unbeknown to me I have been practicing hygge for years. Hygge is here to stay and I for one am embracing it.
I had no idea what it meant – very interesting Angie xx