Those bone chilling winds and mind-numbing grays of winter have an insidious way of dampening even the cheeriest of spirits. Sometimes it feels like having to brave single digits to shovel the sidewalk is as daunting as climbing Mount Everest.
If the winter blues have got you in their frigid iron grip, don’t give up! The Danish people have discovered a way to generate enough warmth and light to bring on genuine smiles—without having to wait till spring. It’s called hygge.
What Is Hygge?
Denmark has some of the most severe winters you could imagine, and yet on average, the Danish people are among the happiest on earth. This may be in part due to the concept of hygge. It’s almost impossible to come up with a strict hygge definition—hygge is more a way of life than a word that fits well in a standard dictionary. The term has its roots in the 16th century Norwegian word “hugga”, which translates roughly to mean “to console” or “comfort”, and is related to the English word “hug”. Today’s Danish hygge, (pronounced “hoo-guh”) is a winter lifestyle that brings feelings of warmth, light, and coziness.
If your spirit could use some brightening this winter, here are eight ways to jumpstart your hygge experience:
1. Become a social butterfly.
Instead of giving in to that winter urge to sink down on the couch alone and watch Netflix till bedtime, invite some friends over to share a fun evening of conversation and laughter. Make a delicious meal at home, roast chestnuts in your living room fireplace, or just strum a guitar and belt out all of your favorite tunes in the family room together. You’ll be amazed at the way time spent with people you care about lifts your mood, warms your heart, and boosts your energy.
2. Cozy up to some firelight.
The fact that it gets dark so early during wintertime is tough on most of us. Dimming those harsh indoor lights, while introducing the natural warmth and hypnotic flickering of firelight, creates a cozy, cheerful oasis that makes the world feel so much less dreary. Either light some pretty candles, or if you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, get a roaring fire going.
Real wood, beeswax, and flame are optimal since hygge is about being close to nature. But if you’ve got little ones at home and firelight doesn’t feel like a safe option, no worries! Feel free to use flameless candles instead—you’ll still achieve a cozy, comforting atmosphere.
Another great choice is using a Himalayan salt lamp, which casts a wonderful rosy glow—and your children can even warm their hands and feet on these lamps safely. It’s fine to get creative with setting your indoor ambience and lighting up those cold winter nights. Kids (and grownups!) will really get a kick out of bright holiday lights strung around the home, even long after December has passed.
3. Wrap up.
It’s almost impossible to feel comfortable and content when cold, damp air is seeping right down to your bones! Let the wisdom of hygge drive out the winter chill by wrapping your body in delicious, soft warmth—both indoors and out.
When you’re out and about, it pays to invest in a really warm winter coat—as well as cute winter hats, mittens, scarves, heavy socks, and waterproof boots. Uplifting colors, whimsical motifs, and a touch of sparkle transform everyday winter gear into fun fashion statements you’ll actually look forward to putting on. After you come inside, maintain that cozy feeling with super soft, thick socks, pulse warmers or fingerless gloves, a warm knit sweater, and plushy throws to snuggle up in. And to get even more hygge out of the situation, invite a friend or pet to share that couch blanket with you!
4. Sip something warm.
There’s nothing like a steamy hot drink to make you feel safe and warm, no matter how bitter the weather is. A cup of herbal or green tea is great, but rich, creamy drinks bump the comfort factor up an additional notch. You might want to stir up a pot of hot cocoa, or simmer some coconut milk with turmeric and honey. Once your delicious beverage is heated to perfection, pour it into a large mug so you can sip it slowly while warming your hands. As with all aspects of hygge, sharing hot beverages with friends will make you feel even better than sipping alone.
5. Fire up the oven.
The fragrance of yummy foods baking in the oven makes everything seem right with the world, and baking is a classic way to enjoy the hygge experience. Perhaps you and your family might want to try baking your own bread from scratch using chickpea or sprouted whole grain flour—kneading and shaping the dough, baking, and then slicing into the soft, warm loaf. Or try a healthy cookie recipe and use cookie cutters to create all kinds of shapes and characters. Even a tray of roasted squash, turnips, or yams will warm your home, your tummy, and your heart.
6. Indulge yourself.
One of the loveliest parts of hygge is learning to be kind enough to yourself to permit a few indulgences. When temperatures fall below freezing, your body may be craving some extra rib-sticking fat and comforting sweets. It’s really ok—beneficial even—to introduce additional healthy fats and sweets to your diet during wintertime. Whether it’s a bowl of hot, savory soup with a full-fat coconut milk base, or a maple syrup sweetened chocolate treat, your body and soul will thank you for lightening up a bit and letting yourself satisfy your craving.
You’ll also get into the hygge spirit when you indulge the urge to slow down during the winter months and just become present in the moment. It’s a relief to ease up on being a super achiever for a while and carve out a space for solitary mindfulness practice, quiet hours with loved ones, or just the time to curl up with a good book.
7. Bring the outdoors inside.
When the weather makes it necessary to spend a larger portion of time indoors, it’s easy to begin to feel disconnected from the earth and all of nature. That’s why an important part of the hygge lifestyle is finding ways to bring the vital energy of the outdoors into the home. Renovation projects like installing natural wood flooring, stone fireplaces, and terracotta tiles help re-establish a connection to nature, but smaller touches will do the trick too! Bringing the outdoors into your home can be as simple as decorating with wreaths, branches, fresh flowers, bowls of fruit, or living green plants. If you’re keeping a Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush in your home, that’s hygge too—especially if it’s warmly lit up!
8. Spend quality time outdoors.
While the concept of hygge centers around cozy indoor living, staying connected with nature by having lots of fun outdoors has some incredible benefits as well. Contrary to what you may have heard growing up, spending time outside during wintertime is good for you! It turns out that lower temps can actually stimulate happy endorphins (which also activate the immune system), burn excess calories to help you reach your ideal weight, and may even increase your lifespan! 1,2,3,4
Embrace the outdoors by bundling up and snow tubing down a slippery hill, ice skating, skiing, or just playing in the snow like a kid. Romantic walks through a sparkling winter wonderland with the one you love are filled with hygge too!
A little hygge goes a long way toward transforming tough, biting winters into days and nights filled with glowing warmth and good times. And when you also nurture your digestive health by supplementing with a high-quality time-released probiotic like Hyperbiotics Immune—along with organic prebiotic powder—you’ll boost your hygge benefits even further, since a balanced gut helps your mind and body sing with vibrant wellness any time of the year. So as temps begin to plummet, don’t fight it. Embrace the beauty and warmth of winter, light a candle, wrap your hands around a mug of hot cocoa, and reach out to the people you love the most.
References:
1. Jansky, L., Pospisilova, D., Honzova, S., Ulicny, B., Sramek, P., Zeman, V., & Kamankova, J. (1996). Immune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 5-6, 445–450.
2. Leppäluoto, J., Westerlund, T., Huttunen, P., Oksa, J., Smolander, J., Dugué, B., & Mikkelsson, M. (2008). Effects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy females. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation,68(2), 145-153.
3. Lichtenbelt, W. v., Kingma, B., van der Lans, A., & Schellen, L. (2014). Cold exposure--an approach to increasing energy expenditure in humans. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism: TEM, 4, 165–167.
4. Xiao, R., Zhang, B., Dong, Y., Gong, J., Xu, T., Liu, J., & Xu, X. Z. (2013). A genetic program promotes C. elegans longevity at cold temperatures via a thermosensitive TRP channel. Cell, 4, 806–817.
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Roberta Pescow is a writer at Hyperbiotics and proud mom of two amazing and unique young men. Natural wellness is a subject she’s passionate about, so she loves sharing information that helps others discover all the ways probiotics support glowing health and well-being. To learn more about how a healthy microbiome can enrich your life, subscribe to our newsletter.