Creating Hygge in your Space

It’s getting chilly in the northeast! When it starts to get cold, all I want to do is cozy up and not come out from under the blankets. If you’re looking to ramp up to next-level cozy, try to incorporate hygge into your space. Hygge instantly prioritizes self care, not by adding more but rather by simplifying your space and how you live.

Hygge (pronounced Hooga) is a Danish word that means, “comfort togetherness and well-being.” Impressively, it can be used as an adjective, a noun, or as a verb. The Danes use it in a way that can mean and elicit feelings that can be hard to describe. Hygge is that feeling of comfort you get when you walk into your room and smell freshly baked apple pie. It is the feeling of sipping wine on a dock with a close friend after a long day of kayaking. Hygge is waking up to sunbeams shining in your bedroom window, creating reflections on the wall. It’s savoring special moments and finding gratitude in the everyday occurrences of beauty.

The easiest ways to hygge:

Light

The quickest way to attain hygge in a space is to light a candle. Lighting a candle is simple and adds soft light to your space. When we light a candle, we automatically slow down and are more mindful, intentional and present (think fire prevention). Candles take us back in time. The first candles are said to be from ancient Egyptian days.

If candles are not your thing, you can always lighten up a space with a lamp. Lamps can also ignite creativity. There are many versions of bulbs in the store that will cast different kinds of light for different spaces. Play with light and simplify your space by using light and reflection as it’s own decor.

Food

Coffee, tea, chocolate, cookies… we’ve been taught to pause and ask ourselves questions such as, “Can my waistline handle this?” or “Did I have too much sugar already today?” While these are valid questions and helpful for maintaining overall health, there is a reason why sugar brings us a sense of comfort. Many pathways are firing off in our brains when we consume some confection fresh out of the oven.

We can take a tip from the Danes through balance and (very) small bites. We can use simple ingredients and be more mindful and present when making sweet choices. If we deprive ourselves of pleasure or overindulge, our reward systems get out of balance. If we listen to our bodies and slow down to make intentional choices, we have less chance of making out-of-balance choices.

And let’s talk about coffee (insert the word tea here if that is more your style). The Danes have a word for the feeling of a warm mug of coffee when it is enjoyed in just the right setting: Kaffehygge. Enjoying a hot drink and warming our insides is a way to slow down and achieving comfort on a chilly day. Challenge yourself to enjoy a hot beverage out of a preferred mug and just do that.

Clothing

Think “comfort” when getting dressed in the morning. Comfort, yet simple and polished. Styling for monochrome with pops of color will organize your mind. Pile on layers and don’t forget warm feet. Wool socks or big slippers at home keep all the warmth inside your body.

Presence

Being in the present moment is an ACT principle and leads to a balance and awareness of how we interact with the world. But being present is also an act of hygge!

Consider the way you have set up the furniture in your home. Have you set it up to elicit presence?. Does your furniture orient toward each other so individuals can face each other when talking? Does your furniture encourage comfort, relaxation, and “Let’s just stay awhile”?

For those of us that find it hard to slow down, simply putting away technology to sit with friends may be sufficient. We don’t need email “dings” from the outside world to reinforce our reward centers, just the conversation around us.

Gratitude

When you consider what you are thankful for, that is hygge. Gratitude is an attitude and a posture that can carry us even in times of depression or sadness. When we orient our minds to recognize that which we are thankful for, we can move toward a sense of comfort. Life will throw hard circumstances our way, but even the hardest seasons can have light. Sometimes we have to create that light by simply lighting a candle at the end of the day or making a choice to say “yes” or “thank you.”

To read more about Hygge, including 10 inexpensive hygge activities, check out Meik Wiking’s book The Little Book of Hygge.

For quick reference:

Board games (it’s social, it’s slow, it’s tangible)
Pantry party (everyone brings something from their pantry to share)
TV night (can you believe watching TV together is a new way to “slow”?)
Outdoor games (Meik recommends croquet)
Set up a mini-library (share, read, repeat)
Make a fire (and all the goodies that go with it!)
Outdoor movie night
Swap party (used clothes, shoes, hats, housewares)
Sledding (drink something warm after)
Play (do something just because it’s fun…no other reasons needed)

This blog post was written by Josi Garcia. Josi is the Co-Founder of ZimZum Consulting Collaboration. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, holds a Masters degree in Special Education, and has experience working with schools and families supporting individuals with special needs.