The Basics of Hygge — Finding Happiness
What makes the Danish so cheerful?
The Danish are said to be the happiest people in the world. This has been decided by the good people at The Happiness Institute which is based in Denmark—you know, on account of all the happy there is to study there. They put it down to the Danish way of hygge (hoo-ga).
I might have been a bit slow on the uptake of hygge. I read it was actually a bit of a craze in 2016, but I didn't catch on to it or hear of it until late 2017. Better late than never.
I can't quite recall where I first saw it, but it was on the net some place. I loved the thought of it right away and had to get the book, The Little Book of Hygge.
I love this little book. It points out such basic things that we overlook all the time. I know I like candles and cake, hot chocolate and fires, but I don't think about them much and don't often bother with them. I don't put candles high up on my purchase list and normally just drink my tea without really considering it.
Hygge is described as both a feeling and an action. The feeling of being cozy and happy. "I'm getting my hygge on," "come over and hygge with us this evening." It makes you think more about those small things rather than the big stuff. Stop to actually taste your tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, enjoy it. Think about your surroundings, is your home a cluttered mess that just happened around you, or have you built it to be your own happy place?
I highly recommend the book, or at least having a good read up on the net about hygge. I have been adding hygge to my life in bits, and I am planning out some new living room decor this year as well as a big clear-out from all over. The Danish lifestyle tends to be one of minimalism, too; less clutter, less cleaning time, clear home clear mind.
So, what kind of things do I need to do to make my home more hygge? Well, a key factor seems to lighting. The Little Book of Hygge says that if you want to see the closest thing to real life vampires, just put a few Danish people at a dinner party under standard florescent lights to watch them squint and squirm. Lighting is a big deal with specially designed shades going for hundreds being considered essential items. No bright lights, just pools of soft, warm glow.
Along with the staple of candles and an open fire, which I am lucky enough to have, blankets and pillows are high on the list. Comfort and cosiness all around. Elements of nature are a great thing to incorporate too with living plants and having a cat lounging by the fire side is about the cosiest thing you could have.
One thing the Danish say they relate to hygge more than anything is a nice hot drink. Tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. Warm inside and out. So the kettle has to be on the ready with a nice big mug.
Hygge has really helped me with my depression and regular winter blues. I get it every year like clockwork and it drives me crazy. When it gets dark and cold I tend to wish I was a bear so I could just curl up and hide until the sun comes back. I know I'm not alone in this, too. It's not something I would ever have thought would be helpful to combat the blues, but getting in to the hygge way of living somehow makes the cold appealing and the darkness magical. Finding the warmth of a blanket and the soft glow of a flame is delicious.
I think this lovely lady can demonstrate hygge to you much better than I can. A true Danish home in all its hygge glory.
Goals.
About the Creator
The Unholy Creeper
I have so many interests I'm not quite sure where to start. Mostly horror but expect a mixed bag from me.
Keep reading
More stories from The Unholy Creeper and writers in Motivation and other communities.
A Plastic-Free Cup of Tea
So, here is a good one for you. Tea bags contain plastic. Yep, the actual bag itself. I have found this in quite a few places, and if you give it a Google, you will probably find the same information quite easily, too. I like chai tea and, like another blog I just read, thought tea bags were fully biodegradable. I was happy that my tea bags were just in a small card box and had no film or wrapping around them. I thought they would be plastic-free, but it looks like the bags do contain plastic.
By The Unholy Creeper6 years ago in Feast
It Only Took One Minute.......
It only took a minute. I was sitting at the computer in my office when the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and then laid it down my desk as I went to find the student who the call was for. Within seconds I was back at my desk, ready to resume typing, when I heard the student yelling obscenities at me for listening in to his call through the handset that was still lying on the desk. Sick and tired of the lies he was spewing, I was up running down the hall, ready to kill him. By the time I reached him, I had calmed enough not to hurt him, but as I turned back towards my room, I knew that I couldn’t go on like this any longer. The decision was clear. I had to leave.
By Gail Wylie3 days ago in Motivation
better than 1 percent every day part 1 (self-development motivation)
If you can't fly then run If you can't run then walk . But no matter what you're doing you have to move forward. Always tell yourself You yourself may be less intelligent than others and have a starting point, but you have to put in 3 times more effort, 4 times more, or even 10 times more. I haven't found a better way than trying with perseverance. by perseverance and constant efforts to achieve goals when you have a lower starting point than others. Everyone has a dream, I believe you do too. Whether the dream is big or small, việc đạt được ước mơ là cả một quá trình. But not everyone makes efforts to achieve their dreams. After a few stumbles, you often lose faith in your dreams and intend to give up. But I don't think Giving up is the right decision on the path to achieving your dreams. One of the things that motivates us to achieve success is faith. Faith has strong hidden power to help us achieve our goals. Do you know that in ancient battles, before going into battle, what soldiers often did was not choose the sharpest weapons or the heaviest armor, the important thing they did was is to strengthen their belief. They always have faith that they will win. They will defeat all opponents. Because belief will lead to action. Weak belief will lead to superficial actions. niềm tin mạnh mẽ sẽ dẫn đến hành động quyết liệt hơn. A player who goes into battle without faith in victory will not be able to score goals. An excellent leader who does not have confidence in himself will not be able to lead an organization, so to realize your dream, you must build yourself a belief in what you are doing, of course. must be accompanied by action, not daydreaming. During your efforts, there will certainly be failures. You will look at the person next to you and feel yourself slowing down and despairing about yourself, but why do you don't think I need to put in more effort instead of spending time feeling guilty for me success is a process not a destination no matter what your goal is a house a super car A happy family or a successful business, getting there is sooner or later. What's more important is the process of trying to achieve it. It could be the days of waking up early, the days of working, coming home late, trying to convince customers, tiring physical exercises that later when you look back, you will never regret and always be grateful for the things that help you grow more and more when You are successful, you have your own story to tell. If everything comes too easily, then there is no such thing as a challenge. If it comes easily, then how can it be called fire? The hardest thing is to know who can last until the end because the champion horse is not the fastest horse. People don't care as much about you as you think. Stay focused. focus on what you do and try to be 1% better every day ignore the criticism of those around you and until you succeed people start to notice you At first they laugh at you But over time they will gradually support you and eventually they will admire you. Work in silence and the results will speak for you. Silently persevere in pursuing your goals, you don't need to announce them to the world. The world knows what you are doing because you are accomplishing it, all the results will speak for you. People who brag too early when they are only in the middle of the race often fail because they are subjective. These people often do not have What's scary? The people you should feel scary are those who silently persevere in their efforts every day and when they achieve results, everyone around them will feel surprised and admire the limits set to break through the world. Limits are created by your own thoughts, so what Hamad Gunny once said especially seems impossible until you accomplish it. Remember how many things you initially found difficult. But then when you do it, you feel really excited. When you can't run one kilometer, you feel like it's really too difficult, so when you run 3 kilometers, you see reaching 5 kilometers as a challenge. The possibility of one kilometer is no longer your only concern. When you can't wake up at 6 o'clock, you will find it tiring. Until you can make it a habit. laugh when someone tells you that the habit of waking up at 6 a.m. is difficult and just like that, as you break through the limits you set for yourself, you will gradually believe in yourself more and be motivated. Conquer the next goals in your efforts and you will encounter failures, but I understand this feeling and you know that failure is part of the game and the longer the road, the more arduous it becomes. Failure is a ladder to help you go further, put your foot on each step.
By TVN-Triệu Ninh3 days ago in Motivation
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.