Denmark. The stylish and effortlessly beautiful danish lifestyle has been envied and ogled over by nearly every person who is searching for a thriving lifestyle. The word hygge describes a cozy and at peace state of being. From the bundled-up tots wandering around in their head-to-toe snow get up, to the chic 20 somethings gathering on rooftops with their friends drinking good wine and enjoying even better company. Hygge is not so much a thing or lifestyle but a feeling. Lacking to the English language, Hygge does not have a simple definition. Hygge is being present, feeling content, cozy, happy, not wishing to be anywhere else, not wanting more than what is in front of you and most importantly, the moments not of worry. This is Hygge, and while it is a vital aspect of the danish lifestyle, it, itself is not a lifestyle, it is a feeling. Hygge is something that the outside world is finally catching up with, however, like a Chinese whisper, the true message of hygge has been lost. When looking to add a bit of Hygge to your life you need to start by looking at yourself. Be present in the moment and take note of when you are here, right now, whether it’s when you are listening to Billy Joel’s Piano Man, or the moment when you’re swimming and your head ducks under for a moment and everything is still and silent. Whatever it may be, that feeling of presence, coziness, warmth, or joy, that, my friends, is hygge, and that is what we need to incorporate into our homes. There is a saying that danish people are the happiest. This saying comes from the same people who try to sell you “hygge foods” and “hygge furniture”, and they are passionately missing the entire point of the lifestyle that is so sorely sought after. It is not about reaching for some unattainable height that makes the danish happy, it is finding the beauty in what is right here with us. Not reaching for a picture-perfect life but relishing in the moments that already are picture perfect. In other words, its not overwhelming happiness that is found, but a peaceful contentment which inspires happiness. The reason why the danish lifestyle seems so effortless beautiful is because it is filled with ease, internal ease of their current circumstance. The effort we put into being happy 24/7 or having a picturesque house or be a billionaire by the age of 26 is wasted energy, these efforts fill us with worry that we might not succeed, and these standards leave us with a feeling of failure. But you see, that is not hygge, that is not the vital ingredient that fuels the danish lifestyle.
So, hygge, why is it important and how do we get it in our lives? Well, it is important because our inner energy creates our outer world. What we feel and what we choose to focus on automatically draws us to the outwardly like. The statement, “misery loves company”, applies right back around. Happiness loves company. Love loves company. Peace loves company. We actively seek out what we know and feel, because even if the emotion is negative at least it’s familiar. How do we get hygge inside of us so we can have it in our lives? Well, it is quite simple. Find what makes you peaceful and then you fill your life with it, acknowledge the right now. Be present. If that means you want to have a giant picture of a butt hanging in your kitchen because it makes you giggle, then that is what you do. If it means enjoying a wonderful glass of wine with your dinner, then do it. But most importantly, know that this moment, right here and now, should be the only place you want to be. Not a worry of anything else should wonder into your mind. If it does, then that my friends, is not hygge.
In saying this, a vital part of hygge is being present in your moments. So, if you are having a right awful moment, let yourself feel awful. It is not about being a happy all the time. It is about experiencing life. The good, the bad and the spectacular; and it is spectacular. It’s realizing that the first sip of water in the morning, and the feel of the wind on your skin as it ferociously messes up your hair before work, are all first and beautiful moments unlike anything you have every had and will ever have again. Knowing that a moment is now and not tomorrow is how you have a life full of hygge.
There is such a lot of world to see.
