Are you one of those people that have to fight to feel excited about turning the chapter in January?
I surely do!
The practice of personal well-being was well captured in the article by Tami Forman in Forbes magazine named Self Care is Not An Indulgence. She wrote:
"Self-care is a discipline. It requires tough-mindedness and respect for you and the people you spend your life with",
I would agree. As a mom and caregivers, our best head spaces requires us to fight and pursue it.
Roll up your sleeves, January is a great time to put this "fight" into practice, cause let's face it, January IS a wee bit of a fight (emotionally) in our souls. Wouldn't you agree!?
The Danes, whose culture dates back through the centuries, have mastered the art of Hygge even in their long winter months. The Danes are considered the happiest people on the planet. Perhaps we could take cues from the Danes.
hyg·ge
/ˈh(y)o͞oɡə,ˈho͝oɡə/
a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being
Why not follow the Danish example and bring more hygge into your daily life?
Our well-being has a lot to do with what we hold our attention to. The attention piece IS one of our B. I. G. G .E. S. T. challenges. In a digital age, the amount of information we consume is highly disorienting, not to mention distracting. I love the way the Danes hold a lot of similarities to my Irish roots: an untouched culture, years accumulated and ingrained over time which helps ground them in their culture and identity. Less chasing the next new shiny or novel things we see in consumerism, more contentment in simple pleasures we have already in our homes.
Our well-being has a lot to do with what we hold our attention to
I think we can take cues from the Danes. While I’ve admired many aspects of a cozy lifestyle, I’ve not paid enough personal attention to the soul comforting properties it provides. I've dismissed it because it seems so insignificant. I’ve undervalued the practices that many people enjoy and take great pleasure in. I think I've been guilty of chasing, pursuing “more” when actually, it’s connecting (paying attention) to the goodness of small, even insignificant moments that really matter (like savouring in a comforting drink of tea or wrapping in a blanket and so many other things)
I've been guilty of chasing, pursuing “more” when actually, it’s connecting (paying attention) to the small comforts.
Historically, I have found the transition from Christmas to January to be rough. The sparkle and beauty of the Christmas season to the dullness of January feels like an enormous loss.
As I transition into the New Year, I want to pay more attention to the comforts of Hygge.
Some aspects of Hygge I’d like to pay special attention to are the sensations of
Look
Smell
Hear
Taste
Touch
I've been guilty of chasing, pursuing more when it’s connecting (paying attention) to the small comforts.
Hygge: A quality of coziness and contentment.
Hygge is a form of self-kindness for the long cold isolating months of winter. But maybe winter for you isn't cold, dark or snowy, maybe it's just the time of year everything just feels heavy. Hygge connects us to life's simple pleasures and comforts our souls deeply.
January is the perfect month (and most especially post-Christmas) to get acquainted with Hygge. What better way to practice self-kindness and address feelings of suffering in one of the toughest months emotionally. (the darker, colder, more isolating days of January, in addition to unsettling events happening across the globe.)
Grab this download and get yourself connected to the simple comforts you have around the house.
Follow me on Facebook or Instagram @refreshcoach and see how I'm applying this in my own home.