Danish Tips for the Cold

The Danish concept of hygge, loosely defined as the value of coziness and connection, is our secret to not just surviving winter, but actually thriving all season.

Extend the peace & joy from the holiday season by celebrating and practicing gratitude, connecting with community, slowing down, and remembering that spring is coming. 

Celebrate

Most of us are familiar with celebrating during the holidays, but why stop there? The winter is long, let's make our celebration even longer.

Connecting to gratitude makes it much easier to find reasons for joy all around you. How can you create space to practice gratitude every day? Maybe celebrating means inventure your own holiday complete with cake and a dance party, but it doesn't have to be so grand. Light a candle at dinner and express something you're grateful for before eating. Sit back and watch how even small things can have a big impact.

Slow down

We love learning and growing, but we're against the type of New Years resolutions that leave you drained and discouraged. Hygge celebrates the impact of slowing down and bringing mindful presence to your day.

Take a note from the bears hibernating all season and allow yourself to rest. It's easy to get sucked into hours of TV and call it rest, but consuming so much content leaves us bleary-eyed and drained. Make room for rest that is soul-nourishing. This could be a walk outside, doing a craft, or simply listening to music without requiring that you're productive at the same time. 

Connect 

As many of us learned through the pandemic, isolation is painful. We're meant to live in community, both giving and receiving support. Take the time to find ways to connect with the people you love, even if it's just a text or call.

Getting together during “flu-season”, when it's harder to safely host in-person gatherings, try suggesting a weekly or standing video call with a friend or two. Sick of smalltalk and not sure where to start with those calls? Take turns sharing one thing you want to celebrate from the past week and one thing you'd like support with for the following week.

Biegun Wschodni

Believe in Spring

This can be hard to remember in the midst of the darkest, coldest winter months, but don't forget that it won't last forever. In fact, that's empowering to remember for every difficult phase in life. Nothing lasts forever. The temperature will warm, the snow will melt, the flowers again will bloom.

Your tips 

We want to know your tips for enjoying this winter season! Share with us in the comments below.