It’s hard to enjoy and savor each and every moment because a big part of life is looking forward to tomorrow and what will life bring. As a society, we are constantly trying to get things done as quickly as we can. We believe that taking a break means we aren’t being productive. But productivity can come from the downtime, the self-reflection time, and the self-care time. What’s the point of life, if we don’t take the time to enjoy the little things – the simple pleasures? 

You should be able to do the things you enjoy and avoid anything that doesn’t make you happy. Self-care is important to living a meaningful and purposeful life. You can’t continue running on empty. You need to take the time to figure out what makes you the best person you can be. We’ve adopted many different practices from other cultures, but now it’s time to make hygge a bigger priority in our day-to-day. You don’t know what hygge is? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive right into this amazing practice that comes from the great country of Denmark. 

What Does Hygge Mean? Hygge Explained

Candles help to create a cozy atmosphere. 

If you looked up the meaning of hygge, you would find that it’s mostly used as an adjective to mean cozy and comfortable. It’s a Danish word, pronounced hoo-gah. It would be best described as meaning sheltered, warm, comforted, and safe. It’s also an experience of living in the moment and just being with each other. There’s definitely not one word for all those things in the English language.“The Book Of Hygge” was written by Louisa Thomsen Brits. It’s can act as a guide to help you lead a more socially connected life that’s also rewarding. The book was written to help people live a more content life by inviting you to focus on what really moves you. 

The Danish culture is very familiar with practicing hygge since it originated in Denmark. It’s a focus on the simple pleasures of life and spending quality time with family and friends. It can even be thought of as a way of life. You can instill hygge into everything you do. You may not have known that there was a name for it, but you’ve most definitely practiced hygge before. If you’ve ever gone up to your vacation home in the countryside, sipped some hot cocoa by a burning fire, while spending time with your family, then you’ve experienced the high that is hygge. Now imagine having that same comfort and feeling every single day of your life. The Danish do it and now you can too. 

Why Is Hygge Important?

Woman practicing hygge. 

Even if you’ve never heard of hygge before, it’s extremely important to your life. When life gets busy, hygge can be an anchor. The practice allows us to connect with people and slow down. It teaches us the value of savoring every moment instead of rushing through them. Hygge is especially important in today’s world that is full of people obsessed with their phones and the infinite scroll. Yes, the internet goes on forever, which is why it’s so important to take a step back, slow down, and practice the art of hygge. It gives us time and opportunities for mindfulness.

If you think about all the positives that can come from moments of hygge, you’ll realize that those small moments are when we experience our greatest thoughts and feelings. When you finish that cup of tea and you’re holding the cup in your hand, you are so present. In that blissful moment, you feel a sense of relief. Hygge is important so that we can experience these moments more than we already do. When we can create a time and space where our anxious and stressful thoughts don’t exist, we are living in the moment, living our best hygge lives.

What Are Hygge Habits? Hygge Lifestyle Breakdown 

Tea, pastries, and candles are part of hygge habits.

You’re probably wondering what are the most common hygge habits so you can start right now. Well, a hygge candle is a must. The Danish need to be careful though, because just like hygge candles are so popular, so are house fires, unfortunately. So if you do choose to light candles while living a hygge lifestyle, you should do it safely and preferably while you’re sober. A hygge blanket is also key to living a hygge lifestyle. The ultimate hygge blanket is probably those big chunky knit ones. Do you know the ones that were stitched with arms instead of knitting needles? Yeah, that would be ideal. But, if you can’t get your hands on one of those, any warm, comfortable, and plush blanket will do just fine. You should definitely have more than one.

Another part of living a hygge lifestyle is food and drinks. The best way to practice hygge is by eating comfort foods with a vast selection of hot drinks. If you think about what foods make you the happiest, you may think of chocolate cake or your grandmother’s chicken soup. Whatever it is that makes you feel that sense of comfort, get it and enjoy it. A little hot cocoa, tea, or coffee are also great additions to making you literally warm while you feel cozy and safe. You may think that Winter is the only time to do Hygge activities, but in Denmark, this is a practice that’s done during all seasons. A classic hygge summer activity could include outdoor movie nights or picnics in the park. 

How To Hygge Your Room

If you want to learn how to hygge your room, you need to make your room more comfortable and cozy. Start by getting scented candles. The Danish love their candles and you can usually find one burning in a standard Danish household. If for some reason you aren’t allowed to have an open flame in your room, opt for an oil diffuser. This way you can set the tone for a relaxing environment by diffusing some lavender oil. You may have one blanket by your couch or bed, but the ideal is a lot of blankets. You should put a basket full of them next to your couch so people feel more comfortable getting cozy in your space. 

Throw pillows may seem like they don’t do much besides take up space, but they are actually a key component to hygge your room. They come in so many different shapes and sizes so you can have fun with it. Collapsing in a bed full of pillows sounds way more enjoyable than just hitting the mattress. Along with the pillows, you’ll need soft bedding. You can even make a DIY linen spray, so your bedding smells as good as it feels. While you’re at it, make a drawer full of warm, fuzzy socks. There’s little that can make you feel safer and happier than warm toes.

Conclusion

You may struggle with taking care of yourself in the crazy, fast-paced world that we all live in. No one said it was going to be easy, but as you can see there are ways to pause and savor moments. The Danes know what they’re doing when it comes to self-care, which is why we should take a page from their book. It can be difficult to add hygge practices into your phone-filled, trendy lives, but with some tender, love, and care, you too can do it. The only way you’ll ever achieve any of your goals is by giving yourself time to be present, some downtime. 

After reading about the hygge lifestyle, you can now hopefully try to incorporate more snuggle sessions in your life. Set aside times when you turn off your phone and invite over friends. If you want to watch a movie, invite over people who will enjoy it with you. In some cases, hygge is about being alone but that has to be balanced with getting outside with friends. Even a morning walk in the winter is considered hygge. You probably thought you didn’t have any hobbies but now you know that your favorite thing to do has always been hygge.