The Cosy Club quick guide to a hygge moment on your own

Hygge is often considered to be something you share with your family or a group of friends, but actually the very core of the lifestyle could easily be incorporated in your own personal daily routines to include brief moments of self-care that are so vital in our modern, occupied way of living.

So many of us have experienced stress at some point in our lives, and you might have had to call in sick at work or been away for weeks at a time due to long time stress related sickness. Hygge is definately not the cure to sickness, but could still be considered a positive part of a lifestyle that prevents things from escalating to unmanageable levels.

You need a calm moment to relax and enjoy the small things in your life every now and then for which reason I am pleased to invite you to dive into the Cosy Club's hygge ideas that you can implement straight away.

So this is what you can do once you have scheduled an hour or two during the week where you are able to spend time on your own without interruptions, plans or work:

SPEND TIME IN NATURE

Between work, the commute to and from work, taking care of your family, cooking and cleaning, connecting on social media, watching television and more, a person is spending most of her time indoors. Do you recognize that?

Hygge is not just reserved for staying inside, the feeling can also be found in the outdoors. It actually doesn't require much planning on your behalf, all you have to do is to prioritize to go for a walk, or why not a bike ride, in a nearby park or recreation area in your neighbourhood. Or at the beach if you are lucky  to live next to the sea.

Time outside benefits your mental wellbeing and it naturally boosts your levels of serotonin which make you feel better. You see, it's all about balance and living a good, healthy life – so exposure to nature is absolutely key. Going for a walk wearing warm jacket and your scarf on a cold and windy autumn day is definately boosting the hygge vibes.

HYGGE AT HOME - SPEND TIME ON YOUR COUCH

Bringing comfort into your private space is at the heart of hygge living. This is where you should be able relax and be ourself completely. The warm space when you come home is so important to your general well-being. In Denmark and Sweden we love to invite our family and friends home, and until recently,  it wasn't really that common to go to the pub, cafés and restaurants to meet our relatives very often. But the culture is changing and now many of us do both.

At home, we love a nice couch with space for everyone. Soft pillows and blankets for snuggles on rainy, cold evenings. Candle light, not only during the month of december, adds beautiful, soft light in the living space. I love to light candles even when I am just by myself, it's soulsoothing.

Wooden elements, flowers or maybe some sea shells from your holiday Summer on your table or a shelf are also great visual reminders of your connection with the outdoors. On busy days where you don't have the option to spend time at park, the beach or your garden a nice bouquet of flowers or beautiful plant in your window could add a little extra to a dull day.

RELAX WITHOUT INTERRUPTION

When you’re more calm, it becomes easier for you to distance yourself from worries and it could be a great starting point for you to feel better, when you have been going through difficulties. Or if you are just tired fore no specific reason.

Personally, I recommend to schedule those moments, if you don't have the opportunity to take breaks in your everyday routines naturally. Kids, eventhough we love them to bits, and work can be tremendous hygge killers sometimes, So plan it, get someone to babysity or take half a day off if possible to relax and hygge on your own.

A powernap or sometime on the yoga work wonders. That's the immediate effect of hygge life and a moment of self care and there is absolutely nothing selfish about it.

A nice nap on your couch or yoga mat works wonders. Photo: Rikke Hjuler

A HUG IN A MUG

The hug in the mug is actually not a Scandinavian thing only. Having worked with people from the UK for many years, I have come to understand that the love of a nice cup of tea or coffee is universal and not just a Scandi way. And the great things is that it's easy to fix for all of us at home and at work.

CREATE YOUR OWN HYGGE PLAYLIST

Create your own hygge playlist on Spotify or the music streaming service of your own preference in advance. When the time is up you can listen to the songs you have chosen, if you feel like you need a soft moment to calm down and breathe.

If you haven't made a playlist yet, feel free to download The Cosy Club playlist on Spotify instead. I can't guarantee that we share the same taste of music, but give it a try if you feel like it.

Once you have created your playlist, you can listen to it everywhere and make the commute to and from work or cooking dinner into special moments, instead of something you just need to do,. The music will remind you of the relaxed and cosy moment you have enjoyed previous