Hygge: what it is and why you need some in your life

Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) – feeling that you should know what it is but not really sure? Well before I tell you what it is, here’s why you need to know what it means.

‘Hygge’ was shortlisted to be the 2016 word of the year by the Oxford Dictionary and the hashtag #hygge has a staggering 1.9 million posts on Instagram!

Originating from Denmark (one of the happiest nations in the world), it has become an on trend word over the last 12 months or so, however it’s been around for centuries. It’s direct translation in Danish is ‘cozy’ and is part of the DNA of the Danish culture; a way of living.

TIME Magazine describes it as “broadly means an approach to living that embraces positivity and enjoyment of everyday experiences, said to be core concepts of attitudes to life in the Nordic region.”

Money doesn’t lead to happiness – focus on what brings you a better quality of life.

It’s about focusing on simplicity and positive daily experiences. Indulging in the good things and good people in your life. Making the ordinary, simple things in life, special or meaningful, in turn creating feelings of happiness, friendliness and well being in life. Wow, sounds good -o how do we get some I hear you ask?

# Sitting by a roaring fire – not much beats a roaring open wood fire on a cold winter’s
night, with a big basket of chopped logs. But fires aren’t just for the winter, buy yourself a fire pit for the garden in the summer. It will not only create ambience but also much needed warmth once the sun goes down.

# Candles, candles and more candles – they’re very on trend right now. Buy make sure that you know what you are buying. Opt for soya wax natural candles (not mineral or paraffin wax candles which can be carcinogenic) with 100% essential oils. Candles create coziness and atmosphere in any room. But candles aren’t just for indoors, they make a great addition to summer gardens in the evening, particularly citronella candles which will keep those pesky summer evening insects at bay.

# The big outdoors – a couple of mile walk with family and friends, blows away the cobwebs, gets everyone off of their electrical devices for a few hours and exposes you to the great outdoors and nature. Not to mention it burns a few calories and clocks up a good few steps on your pedometer. Exercise increases the amount of dopamine (the happy hormone) in your brain, couple this with fresh air and you’ll feel great.

# Quality time with quality people – spend time with the people that make you happy in life. Get that date in the diary to invite your nearest and dearest over for a home cooked meal and lots of fun … and don’t forget to take photos of those special moments. #happymemories

# Homemade bread – trust me on this if you’ve not made bread before. Not only does it fill the house with the most delicious smell whilst it bakes, you’ll get a great aggressive workout with the kneading; and the result – delicious, warm, home-baked bread. If time is limited try this super easy to make Goji Berry Loaf click here.

# hygge your home – comfy, chunky knit cushions, blankets and sheepskin rugs to snuggle up with in front of your open fire whilst you a relaxing with a brilliant book or chatting with special people in your life. Make sure that you have plenty of these soft furnishing comforts for a hygge home. And don’t forget to hygge your garden too. Find out more with 7 ways to hygge your garden read now.

# Home cooked, simple food – simple, wholesome, home-cooked food is what it’s all about. Warming soups, stews and sharing platters. For wholesome homemade recipe ideas click here.

# More talking, less TV and devices – we’re surrounded by technology these days and it’s eating up our precious time, not to mention the box-sets on the tv. Make time to switch these off and spend quality time with your special people. Get out a board game, talk about you day, your plans your aspirations.

There are so many ways to add hygge to your life. You probably have a lot of it in your life already, but maybe didn’t know it had a name and hadn’t really noticed it happening. After all, it’s about the here and the now, being more aware of it and making the most of it rather than letting life slip by.

So make time and find ways to create a bit more hygge in your life you deserve it. I am trying to add more hygge to my life every day I’d love to hear how you have hygge’d your life! Please post in the comments below.

Happy hygge-ing!