Hygge

I have become completely intrigued by the idea of "HYGGE" (Pronounced 'Hoo-Gah"), which is a Danish concept - a way of defining a coziness and comfortable state of well-being or contentment.  For me, it conjures up all the  comfy-cozy-warm-and-fuzzy feelings that can be summed up by one word: contentment.

Hygge focuses on the little, simple things in life that bring joy such as fuzzy, warm socks, an amazing scented candle, a hot, steamy bubble bath, a blazing fire, a warm cozy blanket, a good meal with friends or family....a feeling that all is right in the world for that single moment.  It's finding joy and being mindful of the small blessings......and once you start thinking about it and start looking for these moments - you WILL find them!  And finding them creates more contentment and gratitude and thankfulness for these small, simple pleasures - which ultimately leads to a much happier life!

I learned of this concept just before Christmas this year......and the more I read about it, the more I realized that these things happen all day, every day and I was taking them for granted and missing out on savoring them!   So I made it my mission to start taking notice. To try and capture and document these little simple joys - and it has made 100% difference in my happiness and the level of depression.

I usually dread the winter months - especially from the day after Christmas until Spring break.....that interminable period of short, gray, bleakly cold days of January, February and even sometimes early March.....when all the gaiety and color and excitement of the holidays drain away and it's dark and dreary and too cold to go outside and the days drag by at a snail's pace.  This is usually the time of year that I hit my nadir of depression...….a lack of sunshine, social interaction, and a general grumpiness and weariness sets in.....and I have always seen winter as something to endure...something to get through.

But THIS year, it's been a bit different.  Even though we've had record amounts of rainfall and it's been particularly cloudy and gray most of the year so far....and we haven't had much social interaction (and even working from home, I have had even less than previous years) and I've been dealing with overwhelming amount of pain from some health issues that have limited my mobility....but in spite of all of these things.....this winter has not been awful!  It has actually been kind of nice!

All though Christmas, I started noticing the little things that brought me joy and started taking photos of these little things...….wine/cheese pairings that were particularly delightful, little cookies from a friend, the way the Christmas tree lights shone on the ornaments that were all covered in gold glitter and made them sparkle.....the nativity sets that I cherish and haven't seen in 3 years (because they were packed up and we haven't gotten to decorate since the year before we left Florida)…..I started taking photos of my dinners that I cook each night - taking the time to plate them and make them look pretty.....noticing the smell of my coffee and the warmth of the mug in my hands and the steam rising from the cup that fogged up the window on a cold day and how comforting it was to have a warm beverage......silly little things like that.

I must have taken hundreds of pictures of my puppy dog -she is just so dang cute!! She makes me laugh and melts my heart with her affectionate snuggles.  My Christmas cactus and plants have been thriving inside my kitchen - which is a miracle in and of itself (I've been referred to in the past as the houseplant hospice) and I have enjoyed tending to them and capturing their growth and blooms in photos.  I have watched several families of bluebirds move in/out of our birdhouse and grace the feeders in the yard....along with cardinals, robins, sparrows, cowbirds, pigeons, crows, and the occasional red-headed woodpecker who lives in the hollowed out tree in the woods beside my house.  I've managed to capture of few of the birds in photos.  We've had deer visit our back yard - so quite and graceful!  And of course, tons of squirrely squirrels who try to steal our birdfeed- but their antics are so much fun to watch!

I've even found pleasure in chores - such as the pleasure of having clean counters at night after I clean the kitchen and doing the laundry - my favorite part is folding the warm, sweet-smelling towels as soon as they come out of the dryer.  There's even some weird pleasure in matching up the socks and folding the underwear and restoring them all to the appropriate drawers- so tidy!  I have found that I do enjoy having my house clean and not cluttered - so I've been mindful of keeping things picked up on a more regular basis - and it's soothing.

I've amassed a stockpile of cozy, fuzzy socks....some of them so soft it feels like I'm wearing clouds on my feet!!  And I've spent whole days wearing soft, stretchy pajamas - just because I could and because it was comfortable.

I discovered the absolute delight of sleeping under weighted blankets! I have never slept so well in my life!  It feels secure, cozy, comforting and soothing.  It feels like a hug, but like- all over my body.  Weighted blankets are an absolute miracle as far as I'm concerned!  I loved mine so much that last weekend, I bought a larger, lighter-weight "cooling" blanket so that I can have one year round, as my first one is pretty heavy and would be super-hot in the summertime.  AND in addition to my weighted blanket, we bought a set of flannel sheets and they have been nothing short of heavenly all winter long!! So soft! So snuggly! So perfect! Sleeping has been a dream! Haha!  Pun not intended, but happy accident!

So...….all of these little simple pleasurable things have been adding up to more happiness and more joy and more thankfulness in my life!  It's amazing how once you start looking for the moments - you can find them/create them any where!  Stop and smell the flowers (and take a photo!), breathe deeply and smell the coffee aroma early in the morning;  Listen to the laughter of a child; Do something nice for a stranger just to make them smile - it makes you smile back and lifts your spirits!  Make someone laugh - be silly.  Dance - even if it's awkward...ESPECIALLY if it's awkward! Color in a coloring book, put together a puzzle, read a story, write a story!   Daydream!  Take a bubble bath! Whatever floats your happiness boat!  DO IT!!! And document it....and when the days are dreary and long - you have a record to remind you that it's not all bad.  There is a LOT of good stuff hiding and tucked into the every-day routine - just notice it! Be mindful of it.  Be thankful for it!  Blessing are all around us!