How Bringing Hygge into Your Life Can Improve it
About 10 months back, I got introduced to the concept of hygge. A client wanted me to write a book on it. At first, I could not pronounce the word properly since it was alien to me. I researched on it and found out it was supposed to be pronounced as hooga. The word sounded funny so I assumed the concept would be amusing too. However, I was proved quite wrong when I carried a thorough research on it.
Hygge is honestly an amazing approach to living your way which if you bring in all your areas of your life, you will be able to transform a dull, dreary and meaningless life into a warm, meaningful, brighter and happier one. Hygge means warm and cozy and bringing it into different areas of your life means you have to infuse more warmth, comfort and happiness into everything you do.
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I found it quite similar to minimalism which encourages you to stick to what you value. Hygge is an approach similar to that but it also focuses on bringing lots of warmth and comfort into your lives. The Danes associate hygge with cookies, candles, cushions, blankets, cakes and hot drinks because all of these help them cozy up in the harsh, chilly weather and soothe them.
While hygge is popularly associated with such items, it can be applied to every aspect of your life. You can infuse hygge into your relationships, your work life, your activities, your ideas, your house and everything around you. You just have to focus on bringing things, people, activities and elements into your life that make you feel warm, fuzzy and good inside.
How Hygge Improves Your Life
When you do things and activities that make you happy and those that bring you pure joy, you feel good inside and your life becomes all the more enjoyable. When you spend time with people that make you feel safe and those that shower warmth, love and care, you are surrounded by happiness and love all the time and this makes your life a better place to live in. Moreover, when you think of happy memories mostly and adorn your house with things and elements that increase your happiness, your emotional wellbeing automatically improves.
I did not believe in this approach at first because it seemed too good to be true so then I tried it and was amazed at how effective it was. I began with adding more cushions and warm things to my house and my house instantly became a lot more welcoming and comforting. I felt happy the moment I entered my house every time. I then went a step further and applied it to my relationships and started spending more time with people who made me feel at peace and those who supported me. There were a few friends I had to distance myself from and when I did that, my life became a lot more meaningful. I am now a full believer in hygge although I have yet to infuse it in all areas of my life.
Incorporating Hygge into Your Life
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If you too want to benefit from hygge, here are some ways to bring it into your life:
Add rugs, cushions, pillows, soft throws and blankets to your house to make it feel and look warm. If you live in a hot country, you can still bring hygge into your house. Just add things that help you soothe and feel relaxed.
Stop bringing your work home from your workplace and make sure to leave it there once your work hours are over. A big reason why we feel stressed almost always is because we overload ourselves with work and worry about it almost all the time. By following hygge, you get an escape from this additional stress since you have to leave your work in your workplace so you can maintain a calm and relaxing environment at home.
Meet loved ones as much as you can and take home cooked delicious meals for them. Danes love having cozy family gatherings over pots of delicious food. Great conversations with scrumptious food strengthen your bond.
Recall old, happy memories as much as you can to feel happy.
Add a fireplace to your house if possible. It is a nice way to add some coziness in your house and give it a more inviting feel.
Light candles in your house to add more warmth and a pleasant feel to it. Scented candles work best!