This year my word of the year, is self-care. When I started to research self-care on my favorite list site, you know the name and here is a link to mine. This thing called hygge kept cropping up. I added it to my list to research and learn about this year. This is the lucky month that I decided to incorporate hygge.
What is hygge? Why is it so hard to get a concrete idea of it? (/ˈhjuːɡə/ HEW-gə or /ˈhuːɡə/ HOO-gə) is a Danish word. It is creating a cozy mood and comfortable spaces. All to maintain a sense of wellness and contentment. This practice has blown up over the last few years. It seems like a mysteries practice and finding your way through the fog of internet is a bit frustrating. Some of the problem may stem from a sense of lost in translation between language and culture. The word came about in the 19th century, and is often used in Norway in a similar way Americans use the word cozy. Cozy is a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation. Needless to say this is still a vague thing to describe. What I find as cozy, comforting, and relaxing is different for other people. With that being the case it can be understandable that it is a hazy practice to pin down.
This requires a few questions that you will need to answer for yourself.
1)What practices make you feel comfortable and relaxing? 2)What kind of items help you with this feeling? What kind of music relaxes you? 3)What colors, scents, and tastes give you that comfort feeling? 4)How do you achieve this feeling for the seasons in your area? This last one is important to me. In North Texas where I live we have two seasons with short breaks between. We have winter and summer and a week or two of spring and fall. The summers here are hot and humid. So thinking about anything more than keeping cool is difficult. How do you start? According to Hyggevita they recommend these 5 steps to get started. Slow down and make time. Enjoy the space your in. Create your space.
Hobbies are important. Be with the people you love. How do you practice this hygge without breaking the bank? Try dollar stores, and searching your home for items you already have on hand. Only splurge on the items that make a difference. We have been making our own bath stuff and other craft projects for items that make us feel comfortable. It doesn’t hurt that the act of making something puts me in a state of hygge.
Here are some books that can get you started?
I hope that this article helped you learn what this hygge thing is. If you practice hygge or would like to share your journey, we would love to hear about it. Drop a comment on the post.
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