Can Embracing Hygge Make You Happier?

Well, the Danes certainly think so. Having seen this book about Hygge all over the place in recent months, I was intrigued so it was at the top of my Christmas list….

Denmark is often said to be the happiest country in the world. That’s down to one thing: hygge.

‘Hygge has been translated as everything from the art of creating intimacy to cosiness of the soul to taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things. My personal favourite is cocoa by candlelight…’

I sat down to flick through it a couple of weeks ago and ended up reading it from cover to cover that evening. It’s not only an interesting read, it is also very entertaining and funny. It’s one that can easily be read in one go, as well as being one of those books you dip in and out of, as I’m sure I’ll be doing.

Hygge is about cosiness, simple pleasures, togetherness, taking time to be present, and so much more. I don’t want to reduce it down to just being about a cosy ambience, as it is so much more than that including getting out and about as it doesn’t all have to be inside, but immersing yourself in cosy is definitely a part of it. Christmas is a great time for hygge and a relaxed, family Christmas encompasses so much of what hygge is about – playing board games, delicious food and treats, long walks in the woods, movie nights all snuggled on the sofa together – you get the idea? Read the book, it’ll all make sense!

With a wonderful Christmas just behind me, I wanted to hold onto that feeling, so I decided to beat the January blues and get more hygge in my life. You may have spotted that I shared my hygge shopping last week over on YouTube…

My living room is now so cosy and I really enjoy spending time in there. Candles, fairy lights and lamps are lit all over the place and I have even started studying with a candle on the table with me. These are little things and I don’t mean to claim that candles and cosy and are all that hygge is about, but they help to create the feeling that brings hygge to me. Along with that all-important quality family time, as togetherness is a big part of hygge.

And it’s working. Over the last couple of weeks I have been working just as much as usual here and on social media and I have been hitting the books and preparing an Open Uni assignment, as well as all of the normal things I get done around the home and with the kids. It being the new year, I have also had that burst of enthusiasm that I always get to get a few jobs done around the house and plan and organise a few things for this year. Suffice to say, I have achieved loads looking back and have had a lot on, and yet my overall feeling is of being happy and relaxed. I’m putting this down to hygge.

It’s the little things that are all adding up to make a difference, along with that shift in mindset. Hygge is bringing me more quality family time, which always makes me happy, along with that feeling of cosiness every time that I turn on my fairy lights and light candles. Studying with a Yankee candle and some hot chocolate can only be something to look forward to, right? And as I type this now, I have my fairy lights lit all around the computer, making me smile. Yes, hygge is making me happier.

How about you? Do you have hygge in your life?

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18 thoughts on “Can Embracing Hygge Make You Happier?”

  1. Interesting post! I have been meaning to get this book for a while, but after reading what you’ve said, I actually think we do quite a lot of this without really thinking about it or labelling it as Hygge already. Maybe life in the far north of Scotland has some parallels with Danish life, I’m not sure! Either way, it’s great if a concept helps people to focus more on activities to make winter a happy time:) Enjoy your cosy winter evenings!:) x

  2. I think we are quite Hygge. We like nothing better of a Winter’s evening than sitting in the living room with a pot of coffee, where there is no TV, reading, listening to music and chatting. I love my fluffy dressing gown at this time of the year and my brush cotton jimmers! I sit planning my sowing and growing for the coming year and it is just yummy.

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  4. It does sound lovely, I always feel different when I’m cosy and lighting makes a big difference too. Hygge sounds like something we should all embrace.

  5. I love Asda home stuff and you have some really lovely bits, I think I live by Hygge already our home is full of fluffy blankets, candle and cushions, and nights snuggling by the open fire. Its a fab concept. I love the badger cushion it is so cute x

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