As the days get shorter and the nights get chillier, you may hear people throwing the concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) around, especially in your social media feeds. (People are totally into it right now.)

It’s something that’s been around for years and years, but it wasn’t until more recently when hygge started becoming a buzz word here in the United States.

What Is Hygge?

Hygge is a Danish word that’s defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”

So it’s not a thing, per se. Sometimes, it’s just a feeling. A feeling of warmth. Contentment. Coziness. Happiness in times spent at home with friends and family.

Huh. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it?

No wonder Denmark has been hailed as the happiest country with the happiest people in the world.

Given the cold and dark climate of the Danish region, it makes sense that they came up with the idea of hygge as a means of making the best out of the winter season.

They wanted a way to find a light in the darkness and to find moments to celebrate, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem on the surface.

And while it can be expressed simply as a sentiment or emotion, it can be taken a step further. There are easy steps you can take to bring more feelings of hygge into your home, no matter where on the planet you live.

How to Practice Hygge

There are traditional Danish ways to practice hygge, which include:

• Creating a cozy spot or nook in your home that’s dedicated to, well… coziness.
• Having a cup of coffee early in the morning in a room with soft lighting.
• Taking up a craft, like knitting, drawing, painting, or whatever might interest you.
• Indulging in a little self-care, which could include journaling, reading a favorite book, or curling up on the couch under a warm blanket.
• Getting into the kitchen and making a delicious meal or baking a tasty treat.

The coolest thing about hygge is how you choose to practice it is up to you. It can be cozying up in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea.

Or putting on your favorite cheesy holiday movie.

Or it can be spending quality time with your family and friends, having intimate conversations, and laughing together.

It can even be something as small as lighting a candle and enjoying a warm bubble bath.

Whatever makes you feel happy, comforted, cozy, and content – that’s hygge.

(See? Odds are good that you’ve been practicing it all along and didn’t even know it.)

Come to think of it, hygge falls right in line with Transformational Nutrition, doesn’t it? It calls us to think about what really feeds us and makes us feel calm, content, and fulfilled.

It’s self-care that goes beyond taking care of just the physical aspect of our health. Practicing hygge allows us to tend to our emotional, mental, and spiritual needs as well – even if it’s only for a few minutes a day.

We All Need Hygge Right Now

There’s really never been a better time to get into the habit of making hygge a part of daily life.

Aside from it being winter, so many people are feeling exhausted, tapped out, and unsure about what 2021 is going to have in store.

In addition to finding and savoring the moments of calm and coziness in your own life, why not give others a push to fit a little bit of hygge into their routines as well?

We could ALL use a little more of it, don’t you think? We’re at home more now anyway, so we might as well take this time to make hygge part of our daily rituals.

We hope you’ll join us in sharing your hygge practices with your family and friends, who will then hopefully pass it on to others as well.

Here’s to a happier, calmer, cozier, hygge-filled 2021!

Psst! As Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach, teaching people how to live happy, healthy, content-filled lives is something you get to do for a living.

You get to show them all sorts of different ways that they can find joy in their lives. Can you think of a better way to pay it forward than that?

Neither can we.

See the details and discover how to get started right now!