Hygge: What, Why and How to be More Hygge

I was doing hygge, or was I hyggeing?…  with one of my best friends today.  We took my two shaggy, black dogs for a windy and chilly walk across the fields for a couple of hours.  With muddied boots and the wind nipping at our faces we put the world to rights, chatted exuberantly and totally enjoyed being in each other’s company, laughing at my dogs’ antics and mulling over various projects for the year ahead.  We were totally relaxed in each other’s company.  Neither of us needed to be polite, or plan what we were going to say, it just worked.  It was so hygge!

And, after our walk, while we were sharing a cup of tea (we’re English so appreciate our tea), our cheeks glowing rosy, our hands throbbing as they finally warmed up and unmuddied dogs cuddling up to us, she mentioned the word or concept of hygge to me. To be frank, I’d never even heard of the word, but she explained it’s become the buzz word of the moment, possibly surpassing the current popularity of mindfulness.

So what the heck is hygge?  How do we even pronounce it?  Where does it come from?

What does hygge mean?

Having done a bit of research, it appears that hygge is more of a concept than one word in particular.  Hygge is a Danish word and is pronounced as “Huugg”.

In my understanding, hygge implies exuberant contentment with a good helping of cosy inner glow.  I think hygge means blissful contentment.  It’s hanging out with your bestie.  Hygge implies a sense of belonging, it’s enjoyment from simple pleasures.  It’s that feeling of being so totally in love that the whole world can end but so long as you have each other, you’ll be ok.  Hygge is when my children hug me.  In essence, it’s all about connection: connection with our senses and with our loved ones.  Hygge is soft fabrics, warmth and tactile comfort.  It’s intimacy, freedom, indulgence to the senses, a feeling of being totally ok when everything seems just right.

Interestingly, hygge is a Danish word and Denmark is ranked as the “happiest” country on the planet.  If you click this link, turn to page 22 for the table of rankings.  Clearly the Danes are doing something very right and it would appear that hygge is largely responsible for their happiness rating.  Or maybe it’s their outlook on life that enables them to be more hygge?  For a country that spends large parts of the winter months in darkness, they’re doing something right and it’s working.

Why be hygge?

I like the word hygge.  I like what it means and I like how it sounds.  So why should we incorporate more hygge into our lives?  The experience of hygge:

• Is good for us;
• Gets our endorphins flowing;
• Relaxes us;
• Helps us connect;
• Feels indulgently amazing;
• Obliterates the need for materialism;
• Makes personal relationships count;
• Deepens friendships;
• Develops a sense of togetherness;
• Is heart-stirring to share;
• Is completely free.

How to do hygge

Now we’ve covered why we should be doing more hygge, how can we incorporate more hygge into our lives?  We can incorporate more hygge into our lives by indulging in experiences which make us smile from within.  Here are a few examples to whet your appetite:

• Indulging in a luxurious bubble bath surrounded by the flickering glow of golden candlelight;
• Cupping our hands around a warm mug of hot chocolate topped with freshly whipped cream and chocolate bits;
• Savouring the crusty pastry and homely flavours of a homemade apple tart;
• Snuggling on bean bags around a blazing log burner surrounded by friends;
• Reading your favourite book cuddled up in a soft blanket;
• Pulling on a new pair of fluffy socks and feeling the warmth envelop your toes;
• Cuddling up with your children to watch your favourite film together;
• Sharing a walk in the brisk, fresh air with your best friend, laughing and carefree;
• Holding the hand of someone you love and feeling that deep sense of penetrating connection;
• Waking up from a wonderful dream and then falling back to sleep to continue it.

What’s the cost of not hygge-ing?

The cost of not hygge-ing is etched on the faces of most people you see stuck in rush-hour traffic, running for public transport which has been cancelled … again.  The rising cases of stress-related illnesses, the surge or anxiety-related disorders, the increasing rate of suicide are evidence enough that the cost of not hygge-ing can be fatal.

Hygge and endorphins

When we hygge, we flood our bodies with endorphins which are our feel-good hormones. It makes us feel calm, contented, safe, peaceful, connected.  Consequently, the more endorphins that are flooding through our bodies, the more our immune systems are boosted and resilience strengthened.  Our personal resource bank gets richer and stronger.

Hygge and connections

Today’s world has lost many of the face to face connections we used to rely on.  It’s so easy to sit behind our laptop screens and comment about people or events on social media.  We tend to send people emails or text messages instead of picking up the phone.  What’s more, we are becoming connection-deprived, and this isn’t a good thing.  Even the most ebullient personalities begin to get lazy when they know a few seconds sending a text will save them half an hour on the phone.  Or worse, you may continuously postpone meeting up with your best buddy for a coffee once a fortnight and find that two years later you have no idea of what’s been happening in each other’s lives.

Why hygge? We need connection, we need friendship. Isolation is no good for the soul. Click To Tweet

We need connection, we need friendship.  Isolation is no good for the soul and before you know it, you’ll have created your own little bubble of separation, but what happens when something goes wrong?  Who then can you turn to who knows you so well that they are able to help? What about when your loved ones need your help?  If you’re never there, they can never ask.

Making memories

In essence, when we’re not careful, days slip into months when we’ve had no real connection time, face to face, with people who we resonate with.  When we allow our busy daily lives to brush aside all non-essential human contact the days just become a blur and nothing outstanding or memorable happens, because we don’t allow it to.

The prize of allowing yourself some face to face time with family, friends and those who mean a lot to you gives your life a purpose.  After all, hours spent slaving away at a job, or completing a never-ending list of chores just serves to widen the gap between you and those who rely on you and those who you rely on.  It’s all well and good being independent and able, but we have an innate need for connection – face to face connection, not the digitized or copper wire equivalent.

It’s all well and good being independent and able, but we have an innate need for connection – face to face connection Click To Tweet

Get your hygge on

Allow yourself some time to appreciate the small things in life, focus on being in the present moment, share your time with those close to you.  You’ll be creating happy memories, your creativity will soar as you change your focus for a while, you’ll have more to talk about and consider.  Spending more time doing hygge means we are able to deal more easily with life’s upsets and challenges when they occur.  So get busy getting your hygge on.

What does hygge mean to you?