Welcome to 2023, where winter is still dark, cold and dreary! But we are going to focus on embracing this season with hygge. We are also going to connect with all our senses to get the most out of winter instead of letting winter get the best of us.
First of all, let’s define this buzzword. Hygge (pronounced like who-ga) means an overall quality of coziness, comfortableness and contentment and is one of the things Danish culture is best known for. In 2021, I read the book The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking, and he wrote, “Hygge is about making the most of what we have in abundance: the everyday.” Doesn’t that sound lovely? Now, this can seem easier to achieve during the festive months leading up to the holiday season, but now we need to refocus our hygge attention to the new year and the months of winter we have left.
So let’s turn to our senses. It may seem childish, but sometimes that’s the wisest thing we can do. Keep things simple and get back to the basics of what helps spark joy in our lives. Let’s begin with sight. If you close your eyes and imagine a cozy, happy place, what does it look like? Perhaps keeping some white twinkle lights up for the winter months would keep the darkness of winter at bay. Maybe adding some other lamps around the house or lighting a candle in the room you are in would help. The low light of lamps instead of overhead lighting can notch up the cozy factor. Speaking of light, making sure to soak up some sunlight whenever possible can be a huge help. When that’s not an option during those long stretches of gloom, try investing in a Happy Light to help lessen the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Maybe a room reset would please your sight lines. Remove clutter, rearrange your furniture or tackle a small project that can help you feel focused and accomplished when it’s completed. A visual project could be painting a room a fresh color or framing some favorite photos to display so you can see those you love as you move about your home. Other visually pleasing things include reading some favorite or new books or watching some comforting or new shows.
Let’s move on to smell. Candles and scents have come a long way with their variety, so head to your local gift shop or box store to find a non-holiday winter candle that you can enjoy until winter begins to thaw. Check out Homesick.com for some inspiration. Other smells of winter may include fresh brewed coffee, chai or hot tea, hearty stews and soups, homemade bread or even citrus. Bath salts and oils for a nice warm bath could be soothing as well. Even though it’s cold, taking a walk outdoors can conjure up some wintery smells too.
Taste is a fun one that you can look forward to each day—from hot coffee, baked oatmeal, warm curry, vegetable beef stew, crackly fresh bread or warm cookies. During the holidays, we may tend to make our traditional meals, snacks and treats, but maybe you’ve had your eye on some other recipes you’d like to try during the colder months. Try scrolling Pinterest for some inspiration or checking out a few new cookbooks from the library to try some new recipes. Having something to look forward to making and consuming can be helpful when darkness falls early in the evening.
Touch is an easy way to connect to the hygge lifestyle. Bring out those favorite cozy blankets, embrace those flannels and hoodies, and change into your soft pajamas to signal the end of the day. Keep those flannel sheets on your bed, warm yourself with a cup of hot cocoa, use some quality lotion while you watch a show or before bed. Take some time to sit with a pet to enjoy their soft fur for a few minutes.
As for sounds, maybe you could actually use some more quiet in your life after the hustle and bustle and having kids around at all times during the holidays. Try some ambient noise such as ASMR or brown or pink noise. Did you know there was pink noise?! Or maybe you would like to find more opportunities to listen to music to lift your mood. I like to revisit some favorite playlists (’90’s country always puts a smile on my face) but I also like to find some fresh music that gets me excited to listen to something new. I primarily work from home, so I enjoy listening to a variety of podcasts and audiobooks to keep me company throughout the day. (You can follow my Bookstagram @stephanielovesbooks if you’d like some inspiration.) Ask around for some new podcast recommendations because listeners love to share about their favorites. I love The Popcast, Armchair Expert, The Office Ladies, Currently Reading Podcast, What Should I Read Next?, For the Love, The Lazy Genius Podcast and Sorta Awesome. They release on different days, which gives you something to look forward to throughout the week. When my kids are home, sometimes I can listen with one AirPod in, or I save them to listen to while I make dinner, clean the house, do laundry or go for a walk. Other sounds to pay attention to are your sweet kiddos’ belly laughs, listening to old videos of their tiny voices (and recording more for next year), and the stillness after a heavy snow.
annaannaannaannaannaannaannaannaannaannaanna annaBeyond our senses, movement is a great way to counteract winter blues—whether it’s trying a few free trials at various gyms to see what you like best, making a commitment to attend Burn Bootcamp in Overland Park for six weeks with a friend, doing virtual WERQ Dance Fitness classes in your basement or bundling up to take your dog for a walk to knock movement and sunshine out in one go. Moving our bodies produces feel-good endorphins that can help alleviate stress, increase focus on the task at hand, boost confidence and is good for your overall health. Other ways you can help elevate your mood include talking to someone about how you’re feeling, journaling, doing something kind for someone else or volunteering at an organization, or doing something that recenters you and makes you feel most like yourself. For me, I need to make sure I find time to read each day and I start to feel off if I haven’t had enough time to do that during the week.
Finally, look ahead to better days. Plan things to look forward to, from weekly date nights and family themed movie nights, to upcoming trips and vacations, birthdays and the next year’s holidays. Maybe you start an annual tradition that you take a short getaway somewhere warm each February so you have something to look forward to.
According to NorthKansasCityHospital.org, “The winter blues is clinically known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Although it affects 15 million people each year, there’s good news. The condition is treatable.” If you’ve tried several tactics and don’t find that they are helping, please seek help from your medical provider to see whether medication or therapy may be an option for you. You’re definitely not alone, and spring will reappear!
Stephanie Loux is the mother of Layla, 12, Mason, 10, and Slade, 7, and relies on sunshine, exercise, reading and podcasts to get her through those long winter months.