Travel with me for a minute, using your imagination to have an experience. Imagine that the air around you feels just right, not too hot but just crisp enough to warrant an oversized sweater. There's a yummy scent about you of cinnamon and cloves that brings to mind a yummy fall apple cider that you enjoy while tucked cozily into your favorite chair covered with the softest of lightweight throws as you watch a long-anticipated movie or take a time out for your favorite read. Surrounding you is a room with lots of comfortable objects full of travel memories, friends, or family. All of the things that fill your space are things that inspire you and fill your heart. They evoke peace, cozy, joy, and inspiration, and being surrounded by them is like a hug from your favorite grandmother. This is my experience with HYGGE.
HYGGE, pronounced somewhat like HOO-GA is a Danish concept full of Self Lovery. Although that may be something different for each of us, it's more about a feeling of taking pleasure in experiencing those things in our life that bring us "the feeling" that comes from being in an environment that feels good. It brings about a feeling of safety and comfort from the world. It's your happy and peaceful place that supports your well-being. HYGGE is something you know when you feel it and exists as a nontangible all around us. The HYGGE vibe can be felt in the design of the inside and outside of your home. It can be experienced in your clothing, work, travel, holidays, and relationships; it can be all around you, and it doesn't have to be expensive or grand and usually isn't. HYGGE may not be the same for every individual, culture, or event, and we've all curated a feel-good for us. It's honoring what it is for you and giving yourself permission to take pleasure in experiencing it. It's letting down the guard and celebrating the simple pleasures in life. Let's explore using our senses to experience the subtlety of this intangible concept.
Use your imagination to see the light that may be present in your space. Natural light, soft and gentle candles, not too bright of a light, accompanies your treasured objects in your home, generating a slower, peaceful, and cozier vibe. It's the pleasing feeling you get when you see a space well decorated or pulled together outfit. It's looking at a giant tree that has grown for decades, and you value its presence. It's the awe in watching your child smile or play. It's a breathtaking view from a mountain top.
What are the smells that feel good to you? Maybe it's coming home from a busy workday to smell roast cooking. Scents evoke such memory. Perhaps the smell of sulfur in fireworks makes you think of a family gathering on the fourth of July. Maybe the smell of a vanilla candle makes you want to bake something yummy.
And, Oh my goodness, the morning coffee taste may be such a pleasure, or adding whipping cream to your dessert takes it up a whole other notch. The yumminess of chicken noodle soup on a crisp day or when you're not feeling well. Let's not forget the favorite seasonal flavors celebrated in life, such as cider in the fall or frosted holiday cookies.
Have you ever heard a song that takes you straight to a time and place of youth and wild abandonment? Or the beautiful sounds of nature such as the rain tapping on the roof. Or the complete silence of peace in the absence of sound in a snow storm. Or maybe it's a pleasure to hear children giggling or your family talking around the dinner table.
What evokes a feeling of appeal to you? For me, anything that is of nature, wood, sticks, and stones, they're all over the inside of my house because I can't get enough it feels good to me to enjoy nature indoors. The touch of a cozy fleece blanket feels good to relax, but I prefer satin sheets for sleeping. I enjoy the feel of just the right coffee mug that my hands perfectly fit around but is not too heavy, with just the correct shaped handle. I feel inspired by the beautiful nature photography around my home taken by my daughter and her travels.
As you can see, when you explore with your senses all the many ways you can experience the feel-good pleasure of HYGGE, you become aware of all the many more ways you can add to the quality of your happiness in life. Fall and moving on to winter can offer such an opportunity for the full spectrum of HYGGEE choices and activities.
HYGGE and happiness do go hand and hand. Yes, happiness is very subjective; that's why it's up to you to find what makes you feel good so that you can experience the pleasure of HYGEEING. I hope you will feel inspired to experience all the happiness found in the sometimes mundane but beautifully ever-present moments of comfort, cozy, togetherness, and pleasure that make up your life.
Wishing you so much peace, and pleasure in life,
XO Donna
