Tips on How to Embrace Hygge

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am passionate about happiness and I have been fascinated with Denmark and why year after year they are voted the happiest people. I highly recommend A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell for  a fun insight in to Danish happiness. And I am now reading The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking which has inspired me to go one step further than de-cluttering and to embrace the Danish art of Hygge.

It’s been a long dark winter and we still have a while to go. So now is the time to sort, organise and de-clutter in preparation for Spring coming whilst enjoying those cozy nights in.

Here are My Top Tips to a Warm and Happy Winter:

Take up the challenge! 
I regularly complete the The Minimalists 30 day de-cluttering challenge. On day 1 get rid of 1 thing, day 2 get rid of 2 things and so on until 30 things on day 30. Almost 500 items de-cluttered. Sounds like a lot? Well the average family home has 27000 items so this is just a drop in the ocean. So give it a go. Ask friend sand family to join you and have fun!

Donate, sell and recycle the stuff you don’t need and help charities in the process. Feel lighter, fresher, happier and less stressed. Clear space and get organised. The Minimalists 30 day challenge

Embrace the Joy Konmari Style
Marie Kondo in her book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying encourages us to de-clutter and to only keep the things that bring us joy. We all have stuff that we don’t like but feel we need to keep- that candleholder from a friend,a cardigan from your mother in law, the wedding presents that aren’t your style. Now is the time, guilt free, to say thank you for being in my life, now I give you to someone else.

Keep only the things that fit in with your vision of who you are and the lifestyle you want to have and most of all surround yourself with the things that bring you joy.

Style your home with the Danish art of Hygge 
‘Danes do ‘cosy’ like no other nation. Your average home will look like something out of an ideal home supplement: lots of natural materials like wood and leather, lamps artfully positioned to create soothing pools of light’ Helen Russell A Year of Living Danishly
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Even though they are submerged in long dark winters the Danes have been voted the happiest people for the past 30 years. Hygge doesn’t really translate as one word but rather a way of life but it is a lot about creating a warm and cosy atmosphere with real fires, lots and lots of candles and time together as a family or with friends.

So whether it is snuggling up with your partner and some gluhwein after the kids are in bed or having a family day on the sofa watching a movie or inviting friends to dinner, make your house warm and cosy and inviting and embrace the hygge.

Julie Leonard is  a Life Coach, De-Cluttering Expert and Aromatherapist who is passionate about Happiness and supporting women to transform their lives and live to their potential.

A version of this article was previously featured in the Über Moms Newsletter last year.