Hygge as Self-Care
It seems that every winter for the last few years articles about the Danish art of hygge (hue-gah) have circulated and books abound on the subject. It was the same this year with one major exception. By the time the shortest day of the year arrived on December 21, most people felt as though they’d been living in winter for a year and there was serious dread about actual winter weather returning.
Now, I’ll admit that I’m a hygge enthusiast and preach its benefits to all of my friends. I even did a hygge inspired design for my first ever trunk-or-treat this last October.
Since moving to the Midwest over 20 years ago, I’ve still never gotten used to the wind and the gray that are the hallmarks of winter. Growing up in New England I was used to bitter cold and lots of snow but the sun still seemed to shine more days than not. It didn’t actually melt the snow, but that’s beside the point.
Over the last few years, I’ve looked to hygge as my method of self-care in these gray winters. With no Scandinavian ancestry to lean on, I’ve kind of done it my own way. Honestly, I think that “do what works for you” is in keeping with the concept of hygge. Though this last year didn’t allow for cozy nights in with friends, I was able to enjoy many, many cozy nights in and I made the most of them. My family is lucky enough to have a gas fireplace and that makes a huge difference. I have the fire on for at least a little while in the evening if it is below 20°F. I have candles (mostly battery-operated) all over the place. The warm glow of the candles and the fire makes being inside feel a bit like a special event. I have tons of comfort items as well. I run cold so I have been gifted lots of blankets and I’m not shy about wrapping up whenever I can. The same goes for warm socks and sweaters. My winter entertainment regularly involves knitting something warm which also keeps me warm while I’m working on it. Bonus!
I’m all about hot coffee in the morning and hot tea in the evening. This last year has brought the gift of having my husband and daughter around a lot more which means I usually have a nice conversation to go along with my hot beverages.
When it’s cold or gray out I’m much more willing to bake or cook things that take a while. I love how doing so makes the house warm and homey feeling and it smells great. The family loves it too.
I read a lot to keep my brain engaged. I also watch a fair bit of Netflix…like everyone else. I figure we may as well enjoy it while we have some time.
All of this probably sounds familiar as many of these were popular boredom-busters in the early days of the pandemic (yes, we do puzzles too). The difference here is that I’ve incorporated them into my life, year-round and encourage you to do the same. I rotate different habits for the seasons. Warm weather finds me working among the trees and plants on the patio, crisp evenings call for campfires in the backyard, and so on. In addition to other kinds of self-care habits like exercise, meditation, and eating healthy food, my hygge activities help me enjoy/manage my life even in tough times.
It’s not all sunshine and roses over here, but my hygge habits allow me to control small parts of my daily life. For me, it’s when I feel that I have no control over anything that I have the most difficult time. Finding pockets of hygge and joy through the days and the seasons helps tremendously.
Like everything in life, I encourage you to do what works for you. Find things that bring you peace or give you a bit of control in your days be they ever-changing or seemingly never-changing.
How can you build cozy elements into your days and weeks?
Hygge can be a path to a happier life.
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