The Hygge Trend

I don’t get on Pinterest a whole lot- usually only to find new recipes when I find myself in a bit of a rut in the kitchen, or if I’m really frustrated and need to look at pictures of puppies and hobbits to calm down. But I opened the app on my phone about a month ago and saw a word I hadn’t seen before: Hygge. The post was talking about how to add more hygge to my life and I was too stumped trying to figure out how to pronounce the word to read any further. I’d like to demystify the trend for you because, after researching it, I discovered the hygge is how I would live my life in my fantasy future.

The Danish word Hygge doesn’t really have a direct English translation, but I’ll try to spell it out for you. First off, it’s pronounced fairly counterintuitively: hoo-gha (think of the chanting guys in the song “Hooked on a Feeling”). Etymologically, it might be one of the roots behind the English word ‘hug,’ so you know it’s a good thing. It refers to general feelings of coziness, comfortability, togetherness, and relaxation. Only good things, right?!

Hygge is not just an attitude, but a lifestyle, a decor, an active mindset to change your life to the simpler basics of comfort, happiness, contentment, and ease. To bring more hygge into your life, it’s probably best to work your way from the outside in- make your environment vibe hygge in order to make your life effortlessly hygge. Here’s a quick guide:

Make Your Home/Living Space Jive-Hygge

It’s not as hard as you think. It’s not like you’ll need a total home makeover or need to improve the feng-shui of your home layout. No no no. It’s easy and, honestly, probably what you’ve wanted to do for a while anyways.

Make home a warm place to be, both figuratively and literally. Drop the temperature in the room a few degrees so that you’re able to cuddle up in cozy things more often, like warm cable-knit socks, cashmere throw blankets, and fuzzy sweaters. If you have a fireplace, light it. Surround yourself with big, comfortable cushions and pillows and rugs. Drink hot teas and cocoa and mulled wine. Let in some natural light, or use ambient lights whenever possible (instead of harsh white light, go for soft yellow lights that are gentle on your eyes). Light candles that smell hella delicious, whether that means they smell like lavender breezes or pipe tobacco- whatever your preference is. Limit the amount of screens around you, including TVs, computers, and cell phones.

Harder- Make Your Work Space Jive-Hygge

Some of us can’t really control our work space aesthetics. Eric, for example, is currently remodeling a house. No matter what he does there, he can’t really bring hygge into the fold a whole lot when tearing down and reconstructing a house. I, however, work a lot at my desk and can bring a shit ton of hygge into it. Do what you can in your work space to make it lovely.

Before Hygge

hygge

Work With Hygge

I’ve provided for you shots of my work space both before and after it’s been all hygge’d up. Before, it was cluttered and messy and kind of simply unpleasant to work in. Now, it’s warm, open, and allows me to have a clear head while working instead of a panicked one. Note the large burning candles in the corners, which smell like vanilla; the planners and workbooks neatly stacked to my right in case I ever need them quickly; the lavender balm in the left corner in case I get a headache or want to smell delightful; the tissues on the right because I always get the sneezes in this house under construction; my folio of editing to the work so that my fiction work is always in sight; a still-in-the-package book from Mercer Street Books that just looks so quaint in its paper wrappings that I find it to have artistic value; and the large fluffy sweater that rests on my chair if ever I find myself losing the battle with the AC (you can’t hygge in the cold). This space is a hygge space.

(Also note the Avengers blanket covering up a large dog on my bed who’s lying near a large Batman pillow by a life-sized minion. Not so hygge, but they make me happy and I’m proud nonetheless.)

Make Yourself Hygge

You’ve done a good job making your general spaces hygge-friendly. The next step is to make it personal. We’ll try to start easy and make it a little harder for you so that you can introduce these tips into your life at your own pace.

Surround yourself with an ambient glow: soft lights, candles, fires in the hearth; drink tea, hot chocolate, mulled wine, warm brandy- hot drinks that warm your soul; remove all clocks from the room; wear warm socks, fluffy robes, fuzzy slippers; bring life into your home with flowers and plants, even if they’re the low maintenance kind you don’t have to think about much; create what the Danish call a Hyggekrog- a cozy nook that is a safe, comfortable, and warm place; plan fun things in your week, like outings or workouts or meals; put your phone down and away, and don’t watch TV unless you’re watching with intent- meaning, watch a movie once a week with someone you love, not all night every night while doing other things; cook your food every night and make hot meals; eat seasonally, if you can; play board games, not video games; and start a bullet journal or a diary, write handwritten letters, read a book, or just color in a coloring book.

It’s not all that hard when you get down to it, right? Hygge sounds like peaceful and comfortable living, and who doesn’t want that? I recommend you bring hygge into at least one facet of your life. I try to incorporate it especially in my workspace and in my bedroom. That way, I feel warm and at peace when exploring my creative thoughts as well as when I’m laying down to rest. At the very least, we can all appreciate some hygge then.

Stay warm, stay cozy, stay hygge, stay stressless!