HYGGE! The Danish principle of
Being in the moment – Having a great time – A cosey, heart felt intimate time
within a safe haven. It is pronounced as Huooga. Sorry Danes! I just sounds
more right to me as HieGee!! One can have feelings of hygge cosiness either by ones self alone or in a group of
people. I think the UK we would liken this to what we call homely
cosiness. I read somewhere that the origin of the word is from Norway and originally
means protection and shelter. I imagine this being from the driving snow and
wind! What comes to mind when you think of it? For
me I immediately think of candles, food, a log fire and snuggling up with a furry blanket. And yet it is so
much more than this. Like this cute picture shared on facebook.
Yes the Danes have the largest
usage of candles in the world! According to the European Candle
Association, Denmark burns more candles than any other country in Europe. Each Dane
burns around six kilos of candle wax each year. That’s a bonkers amount! I read
in a book somewhere that Danes typically put candles into their street facing windows
and leave curtains etc open so that people can see in and enjoy them. I think
for me I would be worried that a robber-to-be would be sizing up my house if I
left the curtains open with lights on! That and it’s how I was brought up. Never
leave the curtains open with the lights on. Asking for trouble! Here is a nice candle I found on this website: https://candles.lovetoknow.com/image/101643~Prayer_candle.jpg
As it is so dark in the Nordic countries they tend to use
more little lights and candles to brighten the place up. Winter is something to
be celebrated with thick warm cosey jumpers and thick woollen snuggly socks.
And of course – A log fire is a MUST! It’s just a good excuse to snuggle up and
get comfy! Natures own way of making us hibernate. Snuggle up indoors in our
cosey blankets and REST! After a summer of rush, dash, and hard physical work
in the garden it’s good to take down time to rejuvenate ready for spring once
more. They also love their home cooking. Nothing is better than a nice stew in
a slow cooker or the oven and having the smell radiating out over the whole
house. And whilst we are on the subject of smells cooking things like cinnamon,
oranges and other winter spices on the stove also fills the home with both a sense
of exoticness as well as a homely, warm, comforting smell and feeling. Another
way to get this feel is with oil burners and pure essential oils. I say pure as
it worth paying the extra to get the natural smells of Frankincense, Pine and
Orange to seep through the house and delight your senses! Pine is also a mild disinfectant
so added bonus there! Don’t get the fragrance type ones as they will be full of
chemicals and fake smells that are just too over powering and sweet. Eco and
natural is always best if you can! Might be more expensive but should last you
a long time. The same for candles always go for bees wax where you can. Support
the bee farmers but also burns cleaner than standard candles. Avoid fake scented
candles unless they contain pure essential oils. Here is another one I saw on facebook.
Each house needs a room where you feel most at home and
comfortable to rest and reset in. And in that room a special shelf or unit area
that you can just dress up. Bring nature in – Leaves, twigs, conkers, pine cones
etc. Put pretty fairy lights up, perhaps some little teddies if that is your
thing. Craft some leaf lights or bunting, or craft a pumpkin either knitted or crocheted
like I knitted a few weekends back. Home made adds to hygge! Love and care goes
into making these.
Often we are so stressed from life we need somewhere to go
to unwind and calm down. To reset our nervous system to calm once more. The
best uses for this are our senses: Taste – chocolate, mulled wine and even
Coffeee! Coffee can also use our sense of smell as can the other foods. And the
essential oils or home meal cooking on the stove. Touch – Have things that feel
nice – furry or knitted blankets, silky pillows, cosey jumpers and socks.
Hearing – If you have a log fire your so lucky! Listen to the flames crackling,
dancing, popping and fizzing like fireworks. If you don’t have one put on the
log fire channel on youtube or even some relaxing music on the cd
player/youtube etc. Use your eyes to see the flames, to see candles and the shadows
and little flickers. To see your little fairy lights, different textures of
fabrics on your sofa and to see nature all around – Houseplants, the twigs,
leaves and pine cones you have collected over the Autumn. There are things to
touch – the things of nature, your cosey pillows and blankets and the feeling
of comfortable clothes on – The warm touch of a mug of coffee between your cold
fingers. Just don’t go touching the candle or log fire!! Burnt fingers is not
the touch we are going for here!!!! :-D
All of these sensory calmers can also be brought into group hygge
situations. When your friends are round offer them comforting food, drink, a blanket
and a feast for their eyes of pretty lights and candles. And don’t forget to appeal
to the sense of smell with either delicious food cooking – and cake! - or essential
oils delicately burning in the corner. These are friends, family and people
that you feel most comfortable around and best able to be yourself.
I can’t remember how I first came across hygge. I want to
say either a link on facebook or a magazine article something like that. But I
was straight away taken with the idea. How we can improve our lives both
physically and mentally to induce calm and self care and as a means to aid us
through the long dark days of winter. Although hygge can also be practiced
during summer! A trickling stream in a meadow, the crashing of waves on a shore,
the kiss of sun on your skin as you lie on a picnic blanket and the smell of a
BBQ! I saw someone talking about the little book of hygge. This is wrote by
Meik Wiking. He is from the Happiness institute in Copenhagan. How is there
such a place? Lol. Apparently Denmark is
the happiest place in the world! And he’s done his research well and it is
beautifully written. And even better than the amazing writing and facts are the
little pictures included within the book. I love pictures! The book is a
hardback that is both pretty and strong. It is small enough to fit in your
hands and read while you are lying down in bed. Perfect! It has lots of little
sections that make it easy to read – to dip in and out of. Sections covered include:
What hygge is, food and drink, lighting, togetherness, clothing, home, hygge
outside the home, hygge all year round, hygge on the cheap, hygge in
copenhagan, christmas, summer hygge, the 5 dimensions of hygge, and hygge and
happiness. This book is full of research, recipes, pictures and ideas to help
add hygge to your life! Here is a link for you to get your copy! Add it to your
Christmas list! It’s such a calm read and gorgeous pictures! : https://amzn.to/2IXj1Dh Here are 2 pictures from Amazon:
So that’s it for today. I have a folder of hygge pictures on my pc that I have collected over the years. Mostly stuff put on facebook that has been shared around so I have shared them with you today. I have tried to say where I found them so i'm not just pinching random pictures! Hope you have enjoyed this calm read and insight into Hygge. It is something we all follow to various degrees already but there are many ideas out there of how we expand on this for both our mental and physical health. Keep looking to the skies! Lots of beautiful stars to be seen this time of year so chin up! And enjoy! X
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