Embrace Your Hygge
Hygge (pronounced “hue-guh”), is an all-encompassing lifestyle developed in Scandinavia that has become extremely popular in the last few years. The lifestyle (as you’d expect from a Scandinavian product) is all about simplicity, comfort, and contentment. From the frosty countries that embrace a world-famous minimalistic style in everything from architecture to diet, Hygge helps individuals take pleasure and contentment from the run-of-the-mill “small things” we all experience every day.
It’s no wonder then that 2020 has seen more Westerners adopt a Hygge lifestyle. With all the chaos in our lives normally (plus the added challenges of this year), taking the time to appreciate simple things has a way of paring down the stress we feel and reconnecting us with what’s important.
While many people focus on the outward aspects of Hygge, when the philosophy is turned inward we benefit from self-nourishment and a healthy mind-body balance.
Apply Hygge to Your Diet and Create Nourishing Routines
Visual Stimulation Is Impactful
As humans, we are highly visual. Therefore, it only makes sense to use this powerful primary sense to help you achieve Hygge. You can apply this philosophy to your diet by mindfully creating visually interesting meals that are ripe with textures, colors, contrast, and excitement. Keep in mind that many of the healthy foods packed with antioxidants are also often the most visually attractive. The goal is to see the goodness all around you.
Turn dining into a visually fulfilling experience by changing how you eat. Spark that cozy feeling by eating by candlelight or firelight. Set a table or even just a cup of tea in a quiet space outdoors. Take time to savor the flavors and take in the environment around you.
Movement in Nature Re-Centers Your Mind
Lush greenery, forests, meadows, and other natural environments infuse your body with potent beneficial chemicals you can’t get anywhere else. Simply taking time to experience nature can dramatically shift your mental perspective on life.
Combine this natural beauty and powerful regenerative setting with stress-relieving movement like yoga, pilates, or walking to get your muscles moving and the lymphatic fluids in your body flowing. Motion helps recharge your body and mind and has a tremendous effect on your entire attitude. Slow, methodical, meditative movements are best because they give you the opportunity to relieve your mind of troubling thoughts and refill it with the bounty of your natural setting.
The Sound of Music
Just as visual stimuli can be incredibly powerful, so too can auditory input. Research has repeatedly shown that relaxing sounds (natural or otherwise) effectively lower stress, enhance mood, and improve mental performance. Indeed, music and calming white noise can lower blood pressure, decrease heart rates, and stimulate creative thought!
If you can’t access a relaxing natural hideaway (such as a waterfall) daily, create a playlist of some of your favorite songs or even soothing “white noise” to achieve the same mood enhancing effect.
Fasting Boosts Concentration and Improves Mindfulness
When you boil it down, Hygge is all about mindfulness—really experiencing life versus just being a spectator. Mindfulness has been growing in acceptance and importance here in the Western World for decades and has been adopted by many health professionals as a way for us to deal with stress, improve our own performance, and improve clarity of mind and purpose.
Fasting can help you improve your state of mindfulness. Not only is fasting an exercise in self-discipline, it has the added benefits of sharpening your awareness and boosting concentration through rebalancing your body chemistry. And since fasting requires you to acknowledge your hunger without reacting to it, it presents an opportunity to examine your thoughts about food and neutralize the negative ones.
For first-time fasters and even experienced ones, it can be difficult to give up solid food for a full day. The Hollywood 48-Hour Miracle Diet® has been specifically designed to help even novices fast for up to 48 hours. This nutritious drink helps you maintain proper hydration (essential during a fast), improve your micronutrient intake and help fight hunger pangs.
Clinical research has shown you can lose a significant amount of weight in just 48 hours by using this juice detox to augment a fasting period.
Finding Your Scandinavian Zen
You can’t buy Hygge online. It doesn’t come in a flat-pack box. But with the tips above, you can weave this calming philosophy seamlessly into every aspect of your life. From the way you work to what you eat, the mindfulness and appreciation inherent in Hygge can help you not only live healthier but also be happier.