Hygge – Happiness Scandinavian Style
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
With the new year running full speed ahead and more Things To Do lists to tackle, life can get stressful.
Fortunately, there’s a way to counteract the stress around us – by borrowing from the Scandinavian lifestyle concept of hygge.
Originating in Denmark in the late 1800s, hygge means “comfortable and cozy” and embraces relaxing with family and friends in a happy and uncontrived way.
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel are all for that. Sunny remembers when she was on a writing assignment in Sweden and friends asked her to stay with them.
When she arrived late at night there was a whole spread of food on the table to share. Everyone ate and talked into the wee hours enjoying each other’s company.
At its essence, hygge celebrates life’s everyday moments. Think sitting in a comfy chair by the fire or outside on the deck watching the sunset, sharing a home-cooked meal, lingering over coffee, listening to music, playing a board game, waiting in the lineup for the perfect wave. “Little things” that have a huge impact on our well being.
West Coast interior designer Mickey Walker told SurfWriter Girls hygge is about “having your own place to breathe in comfort and warmth.” She’s found that hygge fits well with the region’s “laid back approach to living and entertaining.”
Walker specializes in creating what she calls “harmonious homes” that fill your heart with joy – the kind of place where you truly can be yourself and live the comfortable hygge life.
To create your own hygge environment, here are some tips:
Surround yourself with furnishings that have a special meaning to you – photos, books, art, objects that give you joy. It’s not how much you spend, but the feelings of love and security they evoke.
Enjoy tactile things – snuggling in a soft blanket, taking a bubble bath, walking on a sandy beach.
Give yourself the space and time to be creative – cooking, gardening, crafting, painting, writing.
Balance personal space with social space – a private nook to read a book with living areas to mix and mingle.
As the Scandinavians say, “With hygge you’re creating your own happy place.”
Now, that’s something we can all enjoy!
Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.
