Hygge is a Danish concept. With Hygge, people are creating cozy comfort at this time of year with wool socks, candles, lap blankets, cats curled up for a nap in your lap, and Christmas! I have read that Hygge is truly about "recognizing and enjoying the present moment" (not just being in the Now).
I have been practicing during November so that when Winter arrives on December 21st I will have some experience with this concept.
I had decided to call a sabbatical for six months (Fall and Winter) to discover what I actually need to shift in my daily life for my well being and for that of my husband's well being.
So far, writing in the Hygge home space I am creating with my husband has been less stressful than I imagined. Rather than tally up a whopping 50,000 words on this year's NaNoWriMo, I chose to work on two writing projects with particularly different styles. One is poetry (very calming) and the other is character in a children's story (still challenging and new)
I am finding my gentle voice. I enjoy writing with my gentle voice. I can create an atmosphere that fosters creativity that is, perhaps, more sustainable for me. that is my goal. Sustainable Creativity.
I have also been using psychoacoustic music. (No, it is not heavy metal) This is music that is composed and designed to bring a person into the para-sympathetic nervous system where everything can become calm and open to relaxation. It is a creatively designed music which encourages a shift from active listening to passive hearing.
I am using Sound Body, Sound Mind: Music for Healing With Andrew Weil, MD which works well to drop me into silence and sleep. Dr. Andrew Weil joins with leading psychoacoustic researcher Joshua Leeds to create music for healing the body by accessing the subconscious wisdom to guide healing and health.
I find that in the digital day of writing on a computer I am gearing up my mind to be on alert to an excessively high degree and this type of music resets my nervous system to a state of calm.
The music and a cup of chai tea are a good combination. In about one hour, I have been taken to a meditative place where my brain has rested from analysis and planning. If I fall asleep, no matter. The last of the 4 tracks (Integration) is one that brings anyone up to awareness again.
Because I chose November as a month long retreat into writing in a healing mode, I also chose to do long-hand writing for most of this year's NaNoWriMo. (20th Anniversary)
Part of the month-long healing experiment involves other senses, so I am wearing my hand knit socks given by a Feldenkrais friend. They are cozy and colorful and cheerful. I use aromatherapy scents combined with colloidal silver on my face to refresh and I attempt to walk around the house every 30 minutes or so (I confess that this is still a challenge). Long periods in sitting can make us stiff, so the moving around helps to create flow.
We are eating good healthy soul food all month long and sometimes we indulge in a sweet. Neither of us are using alcohol at the moment and we are resting and napping whenever the urge comes upon us. I plan to toast the New Year with some Pink Champagne - something cheerful and light. I believe that Hygge embraces celebration of the special within the ordinary flow of the day.
We are using soaking tubs with mineral salts and I prefer mine before dinner so that my meal is in a totally relaxed state and going to bed is cozy rather than an exhausted let down after a too busy day.
I have cut back on shopping trips so we can "eat the food down" in the house and focus on the healing rhythm of a day. I have now tried the Walmart Grocery Pick Up system for the Thanksgiving food shopping trip and discovered the steps I saved in the store have given me a new appreciation for "services". I discovered that I ordered better food than what I might have chosen as I went through the aisles. That is a pleasant surprise.
We spent months with Physical Therapists to learn how to take care of our bodies, which are so close to 70 years old that I wonder why I never listened before about what happens as we age. I made "coping binders" with notes and handouts to carry us through the winter. The most we can manage with focus is 15 minutes of targeted movement here and there. It is a good start to a new routine.
I am partnering with a Healing Garden in Chicago to learn foraging and herbs for health. Nina Lawrin of Loveren Collections has been wonderful to work with. I began with a Skype call in November of 2018 and wrote out a mission plan. It is a long term goal to make this happen. So far I have done "Plant Swaps" which are photos I take and send for identification. This is the first step in foraging in our yard. I found common blue violet and a catmint plant. I ordered a Foraging Box for the Fall as a way to support this dynamic, 30-something, plant entrepreneur in her business and it was so much fun to receive the box and to explore the teas and other great items included.
We have Benjamin, a friend (whom we pay) to help us carve out the spaces for the gardens and keep the property neat and tidy. Together the three of us (Jon, Benjamin and myself) are creating something restful and cheerful for our eyes as we sit on the deck to enjoy the birdsong and blue skies. Just before Thanksgiving, we completed the new bed for the Iris bulbs which need to be divided.
Part of the garden plan is a place in the woods at the front of our property dedicated to a "reading garden". I visited a Book Fair in October. The Fair helps fund programs for the public library in Springfield, MO. I was able to find some first editions children's books that I have enjoyed reading during the November retreat time. My long term hope is to make a place that neighborhood children might come to a Little Free Library for them. They can borrow a book and return it. Even if this Big Idea is not possible, I will plant the seed. I did fill out a volunteer form at the Forsyth Library in town and will be able to substitute for "The Story Teller" in the summer if she has to be away. For me, this is the first step into the community and the first step to stories with children.
My Healing Kitchen is coming to life with teas and herbs that we like. We try one thing at a time and if we like it we replenish. If we do not find any benefit then we stop using it. We are all about finding out what our bodies really want.
This is my new foundation for writing and publishing.
I really want to live out a life of peace and sustainable joy now because we don't really have time to do otherwise. Look at how much the world needs our voice. Our gentle voice. Our hopeful voice. Our true voice.
I hope the holidays are Hygge for you, your family and your friends. I will be back in February with another blog topic - just in time for Valentine's Day.
Here are some links for more information on Hygge
(While I would LOVE to have the minimal and clean look of Hygge, I do not.
I embrace the process of gathering and "decluttering" through the seasons)
Hygge Living
Video Blog from a married Millenial's point of view
This woman (Alex) is a global workhorse and traveler.