Summer Hygge

 I struggled to find something to write about today. We are heading into summer so I don’t have to complain about winter anymore, I’m working on my microbiome health which even I don’t want to hear about, my first class is finished (I nailed it BTW) and I’m still waiting to hear if my paper will be published.  While things are semi uneventful I have taken some time for me using a concept I’ve followed the past couple of years. It is called hygge (pronounced hoo-gah). It is the Danish and Norwegian art of finding comfort and coziness for overall well-being.

Hygge has helped me tremendously during the winter. I have tea time at work and in the evening at home, I light candles and the fireplace, I hang every day lights for those long winter nights and I have lots of soft, snuggly blankets to wrap myself in. Many people think of hygge as a winter only thing or struggle with the concept in the summertime. I love the summer but still incorporate lots of hygge into my summertime routine.  Hygge for me in the summer could look like a walk or reading a book outside while sitting in the sunshine. It could be an evening fire table or sitting outside watching a beautiful sunset, fireflies and the stars.  Hygge could be floating in a pool on a hot day or planting flowers or a garden. 

For me hygge in the summer is less about coziness and more about a feeling of inner peace. It is the way I recharge my batteries and get ready to take on the long winter. 

Remember, everyone’s hygge is different but be it winter or summer find something that makes you happy.  Then you have surely found your hygge!