Hygge: the recipe to be happy

Cold outside, it gets dark early, the perfect time has come to practice hygge , the Danish recipe for happiness that consists of enjoying the little things. Hygge is giving yourself permission to feel calm and safe; is to feel the strong bond with your loved ones and with yourself.

Some time ago I read a book that as soon as I finished the first page I said: 'this is Vera & the birds'. It was about ' Hygge. The happiness of small things ' and tells how Denmark, a cold country with very high taxes, has the happiest population in the world. And it's all due to hygge.

Good news: surely you already practice hygge for a long time. And more good news, the season in which you most want to practice it has begun. If you don't already, here are some magical tips that can help you.

HOW TO PRACTICE HYGGE

1. Rich things . Appetizing, tasty and traditional food cannot be missing in a hygge moment. If it is homemade, it adds many points. Bake a cake, make bread with your little ones or invite your friends to dinner and dare to be the chef.
2. Create the atmosphere . Light is home and the Danes attach great importance to light. Has this ever happened to you?: One winter night, you are walking down the street, skinned with cold, you look at a building and see a house -a home- flooded with warm light. You feel tremendous envy and you quicken your pace. To create a warm atmosphere, you don't need much: a lamp strategically placed in a corner, a few candles on the window sill and that's it.
3. Yours . The great mystery, revealed. Whether we are more or less happy depends largely on our social relationships. That's how it is. To love and be loved. The hygge has many legs but the main one is the feeling of unity, of being with your loved ones sharing the moment.
4. A pair of wool socks . If they are old and thick, so much the better. If there is heat in the feet, there is heat in the heart.
5. presence . Being here and now, in the present moment. Enjoying that dinner with friends or reading a good book on the sofa. Do you know what the number one enemy of mindfulness is? Aha, cell phones. I recently saw I don't know where that in some gatherings of friends, cell phones stay in a large bowl at the entrance . It seemed like a brilliant idea to me. Out are interruptions, scattering and blue light. Inside, the real connection between people, talk and love.
6. music . capable of altering any state of mind, music is a powerful ally to breathe life into an environment. Soft accompanying music will change the color of your most hygge encounters. I leave you a spotify playlist that I have created especially for you to curl up on the sofa, grab a book and enjoy
7. Let your guard down . We spend the day with our ears up, alert. The day is certainly a bit of a jungle and when we get home, there is our refuge. Gone is the stress, the browns, the impersonal treatment and we reach our comfort zone (well understood). The place that gives us shelter, where the tribe we love lives . Where we can finally let our guard down and be us.
8. A hot infusion . 86% of Danes associate hygge with a hot drink and it is not surprising. Hold the cup tight with your hands and let its heat invade you . Blow out the smoke and start taking small sips, while you start talking about anything with your friend. That's very hygge.
9. Gratitude . It's about not taking things for granted and being grateful for all the good that life gives you. Practicing gratitude in a disciplined way increases happiness.