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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MCLA chapter.

“Hygge, (pronounced hoo-gah), is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.” Basically, this is a lifestyle or mindset that is all about surrounding yourself with comfort, coziness, family, friends and good food.

First of all—mood. With winter festivities kicking into high-gear this month, now is the perfect time to implement this odd-sounding lifestyle.

I actually discovered the notion of hygge while scrolling through Pinterest (as per usual), looking for some inspiration regarding my newly adopted minimalistic lifestyle which I will likely write about later on. But what caught my attention about hygge was all the warmth and coziness associate with the pictures included in the articles. It reminded me of the warmth of the holidays, so I started looking into it more.

Reasons to Hygge

Since the cold weather has already started creeping in, who doesn’t want to embrace a mindset that’s all about warmth, comfort, positivity and coziness. Also included in the hygge mindset is self-care which encourages you to put yourself first which is SO important for both your mental and psychical health regardless of your lifestyle. With that being said, the feeling comfort associated with the notion of hygge goes hand in hand with self-care. Whatever makes you comforted, happy and feel cozy can be considered your own personalized version of hygge.

Healthy Hygge

With comforting food, comes calories. This is probably the biggest downside I’ve found with this lifestyle…at first glance. Upon further investigation, I discovered that traditional hygge practices call for homemade meals to be eaten with friends and family, allowing more time for meaningful conversation and less time to actually down all that delicious ~comforting~ food. This causes meals to last for hours and could even aid digestion versus eating an entire meal in one sitting. Hygge meals can include various healthy options that are simple to make such as slow-cooked stews, soups, and roasted meats with vegetables.

How to Hygge

Have a warm meal or drink, talk to friends and family, listen to your favorite music, watch your favorite show, put the phone down, read a book, cuddle with your favorite warm blanket, or even have a self-care day. Do whatever makes you feel warm, happy, cozy and content.

BONUS RECIPE

Below is my personal recipe for a cup of guilt-free “Hygge Hot Cocoa/Mocha”. I’ve been off of added/refined sugar for a while, so this might be a little bitter to other people because of the lack of usual sweetness associated with the drink. To solve this, add additional honey until you’ve reached your desired sweetness level. I’d recommend the water-based hot-cocoa at night, and the coffee-based mocha in the morning/afternoon.

“Hygge Hot Cocoa/Mocha” (guilt-free!)

  • Half a mug of water/coffee (heated)

  • 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (I use LivFit Organic)

  • 2 tablespoons of honey

  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

  • Add a creamy element to the remainder of mug space (I use unsweetened almond milk)

  • *For a cold cocoa/mocha, make this heated first then cool. If not, the cocoa powder won’t dissolve*

Happy hygge-ing!

 

Alexis is a junior majoring in English/Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. Currently she is attempting to balance schoolwork and relationships with family and friends. Her hobbies include gardening, painting, as well as an interest in working with animals and event planning.
Meghan is a sophomore who majors in Psychology with a minor in behavior analysis. She is one of the two campus correspondents of the MCLA chapter. Writing has become first nature for her- it's like riding a bike into paradise. She primarily writes about love with the hope to become the female version of Nicholas Sparks someday.