There is a trend that everyone is loving especially during this very cold winter! Hygge is the trend that supports feelings of wellness, coziness, and comfortability. The concept behind this movement is to encourage the commitment to creating joy and contentment in your life daily. It’s about making a positive impact on your life. Colleen Kavanagh, the founder of Soul Being says the overall sense of wellbeing instilled through the hygge trend goes deeper than a temporary feeling of being comforted. “It is the comfort of knowing that we are able to create this sense of well-being for ourselves despite whatever unknowns may lurk beyond our doorsteps,” Colleen explains.
Hygge started as a Danish lifestyle trend that started back in 2016. Is it still popular? Most definitely, countries all over the world are fascinated with this Danish concept. Hygge has been tagged in close to 7 million Instagram posts and it keeps growing!
Chris Shelton is a QiGong Master who believes the trend has remained so popular because of the world we currently live in. “People are desperately seeking wellness mentally and physically. Over the past few years, there are more people suffering from scarcity and fear. Resulting in more and more people seeking internal peace, ease, and relaxation,” Shelton explains.
So how do you embrace this trend wholeheartedly? Samantha Parker author of “Yoga for Chronic Pain…WTF?”. Parker suggests a few holistic methods below:
Hot water and lemon: This is an Ayurveda way of stimulating the body’s natural digestive acids when you do it in the morning or early afternoon. The warmth of the hot water warms the body and provides a bit of calm while sipping.
Hot cocoa: Parker explains that the brain associates hot cocoa with warm, fun, and comforting feelings. The brain recalls these correlations providing a sense of calm. Additional research has shown that cocoa provides protection against cognitive decline as it is a polyphenol-rich food.
Mindfulness: Even on the go, in your office, or at home, if you have a window, look out! Just looking out the window even for just one brief moment helps us to take a pause and notice our world. Even if it may not be the most ideal scenery, being mindful of where we are in the world noticing how we are sheltered and thinking of 1 thing we are grateful for, this gratitude has our brain release dopamine and serration, feel-good chemicals reducing anxiety and stress.
A good scarf: “I have a few favorite cashmere travel scarfs that I wear practically every day. It is big enough to be an adult “security blanket”, fashionable, provides a hygge feeling of warmth, and is even great to wear after a workout to not allow the body to cool down too quickly after a workout,” Samantha shares.
Although the trend is a great incentive to start a new habit Risa Sheppard suggests you should act now regardless of what is trending. “Why wait for a calamity to experience the benefits of hygge? We all yearn for balance. We feel uncomfortable, almost sick sometimes when our whole life consists of work, worry, and obligations. So how do we tell ourselves it is ok to slow down, enjoy the moments of our lives that flicker away in an instant never to be experienced again? It takes a commitment, an acceptance of what is, and a need to stop and smell the roses,” Risa explains.