Personal Experience: Hygge As The Main Wellness Trend In Autumn

The concept of "hygge" cannot be literally translated into Russian; it can only be described. It originated in the Scandinavian countries, means the value of the simplest pleasures of life, enjoyment of the moment, a feeling of coziness and comfort in everything: communicating with someone or just being alone.

Mike Viking wrote in his book Hygge. The Secret of Danish Happiness ":" hygge is a word that is not written, but felt ", and it really is.

The word hygge appeared in written Danish in the early 19th century. It turns out that it is Denmark that leads the list of the most prosperous countries in the world. Numerous studies and opinion polls have shown that Danes can truly be considered the happiest people in Europe. There are even special hygge tours to different places where you can feel happier. But it is not necessary to leave your home nest to comprehend hygge.

BeautyHack editor Sofia Vorobyova did not leave Moscow the whole summer, she was desperate to warm up and did not have time to look back when August ended.

Sofia Vorobyova

BeautyHack Editor

Recently, I became very irritable, I could not find something to do that would calm down not for an hour or two, but lead to a state of rest. I even began to be distracted from my work by the screams of children playing in the playground, which can be clearly heard from my third floor. Everything was pissed off: loud noises, uninteresting books, even uncomfortable positions that I tried to change every two minutes and only got angry. Therefore, pulling myself together, I decided to catch Zen and Hyugge on the threshold of the most melancholic season - autumn.

Hygge is not about things, but about the atmosphere and sensations, so in order to relax you need to create complete comfort for yourself, and first of all - at home. I had a complete mess there: the bookshelf was covered with books, a mess in drawers and drawers, there was no harmony in the workplace. Therefore, I, a minimalist man, arranged the books alphabetically, put things in order in the office, notebooks, magazines and even in a cosmetic bag.

The most important component of all Danish hygge recipes is burning candles or dim lights. They even use the phrase "a person who spoils pleasure" in translation means "a person blowing out candles." Therefore, at home, I arranged several "living lights" with different smells. I am also an esthete person, I love with my eyes, so I buy candles only with the design that I cannot look away from, for example: the vintage Calone 17 candle from the American brand Le Labo and the Baies candle from Diptyque.

The first scent is fresh, like the breath of the sea breeze, transports to the hot beach. It is these thoughts that are really relaxing. I choose Calone 17 at the beginning of autumn, because this scent is revealed the way I love it in these seasons. With it, you can mentally transport yourself to the graceful strong waves and the warm sea coast.

With the Diptyque candle, I transform the home into an endless aromatherapy session, harmonizing and enhancing my personal space. Lighting a Baies candle, I immediately plunge into a garden full of roses and wild berries, which is located on the seashore.

I also did not forget to create comfortable lighting in the room, because in the summer in Moscow I had to be content with rains and cloudy skies. I decided to equip an island of light, with those lamps that emitted just a warm amber light, pleasant to the eye.

Another concept is hyggekrog, meaning a secluded place in the kitchen or living room where you can spend time comfortably.

To create such a guilty place, you need soft blankets, pillows and items that will create a mood. Therefore, I bought pillows and pillowcases in my favorite colors: green, blue, cream and pastel.

Spoiler alert - hygge and strict diets are incompatible.

When a person is on a diet, he denies himself his favorite foods and dishes that could bring him happiness. Hugge suggests that you need to pamper yourself, and for this you need to sometimes deviate from the principles of healthy lifestyle. Judge for yourself delicious raf with marshmallows (or thick cocoa), gingerbread cookies (or the one you like), aromatic pastries - it even sounds tender, this is what it is - hygge, but cabbage salad is not very good.

But the whole point is in simplicity: your dish should not be pretentious, it should be light and homemade. Remember childhood, when the whole house could smell of delicious homemade food. This was the family hygge. Therefore, if you like to go to a restaurant, order foie gras and not gorge yourself, then this will definitely not bring you pleasure and comfort.

Mike Viking also said: “You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a cake, which is almost the same. At least that's what our brain thinks."

But remember that overeating to a heaviness in the stomach is no longer hygge, but food poisoning.

I, in turn, invited a friend to visit, asked her to buy some products, and together we cooked our favorite dish - charlotte with apples. One of the wonderful evenings passed with pleasant conversations, joint preparation and then eating dessert.

At the beginning of autumn, I completely change my wardrobe, and also start to put things in order in the closets. Therefore, in her experiment with hygge, she decided to sort the clothes. I brought out oversized sweaters, tracksuits, large scarves, thick hand-knitted cardigans. Therefore, even in bad weather, such clothes should be comfortable: you can always wrap yourself in a scarf, do a careless hairstyle, apply a minimum of makeup and go to a meeting for a cup of coffee.

And at home you can arrange a real spa ritual in the bathroom, also light candles, turn on your favorite movie or TV series and feel the same harmony with the body.

I got it when I got rid of disharmony and stopped paying attention to annoying impulses. The children's screams no longer exasperated me, but made me happy, because these children, just like me, experience hygge. I simply laid aside uninteresting books for better times, and told myself that it was not time to read them yet. And uncomfortable postures were replaced by comfortable ones, because I settled down in a place where I created a cozy corner. In general, hygge is the main wellness trend before the fall, it puts things in order in the head.

Text: Sofia Vorobyova