“Hygge” is a Danish word or cultural characteristic that means incorporating the cozy into your life.  It’s about enjoying the simple pleasures and not taking them for granted. 

Hygge is a quality of coziness and comfortable living that comes from a feeling of contentment, a special moment, or a sense of well-being. 

It is the art of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes you feel open-hearted and alive! It’s about enjoying life’s simple pleasures and having a coziness in your soul. It is nothing extraordinary, it can be experienced alone or with friends; at home or away and doesn’t require learning “how to” do anything. 

Try to incorporate something from a list you create of places, people, experiences, or thing that makes you feel all cozy inside.  Is it a favorite pair of slippers, or chunky sweater?  Is it a warm drink and a book?  Is it time in a window seat or sunroom just being?  Maybe it’s the smell of a favorite candle or wax melt, homemade soup, or curling up in a blanket of the coach with your spouse.  What’s on your list?  Take time to think about a few things and jot a list.  Add to it as you experience what makes you feel calm and cozy.

Your list should contain experiences like enjoying a roaring fire or sitting by a bonfire.  Hiking in the fall leaves or playing in them on a beautiful fall day.  Doing yoga and feeling how good your body feels while you’re stretching and breathing.  The list is meant to elicit the relaxation response and remind you of the simple things in life.  The time that you feel at peace, and what brings simplicity and joy into your day.  This break will refresh and restore you.  It will also be something you crave as you develop the habit and it’s part of your lifestyle.   

This practice of bringing the cozy into your day, will help you develop the “Hygge” lifestyle. Focusing on the simple pleasures of life, slowing down and relaxing.  When you add a pause like this into each day, you can reset and take the focus of a stressful situation or high-level task. 

The end goal - Have fun!  Make your own hygge list, email me for a custom hygge list you can fill in. See how it brings your family and friends together. 

I encourage you now to take some “me time” to dream about the cozy experiences in your life.  Put on some fuzzy slippers or socks, cuddle up in a nice blanket and just be.