How to Boost Your Energy with the Comfort of Hygge

As days get shorter, wetter, and colder this season, you might wish you could snuggle down and hibernate until March.  But with so much to do to get ready for the holidays, you need energy more than you need to take cover.

Enter hygge (pronounced "hoo-gah"), the Danish concept of positive self-care, perfect for rest and rejuvenation.

The Danes know a thing or two about coziness.  During long northern winters when it can be dark for up to 17 hours a day, Danes lift their spirits with the comforts of hygge.  But while hygge has been aggressively marketed of late, it is definitely not about buying something to improve your mood.

Hygge: Not for sale in stores.

Meik Wiking, Danish author of The Little Book of Hygge, says that hygge has been corrupted by marketers who have turned something that has always been free into something they can sell.  $100 "hygge blankets" and $40 "hygge-scented" candles are commercial hype.  Hygge, Wiking explains, is not about things.  It's a feeling of contentment that exists "only in the absence of stress and nuisance," when you experience a sense of relaxation and belonging.

It's not surprising that Brits and Americans have jumped on the hygge bandwagon.  Ours is the culture that invented the 24-hour market and next-day delivery.  We're famous for constant multi-tasking and voracious ambition.  

But many of us also long for a slower pace, quality time with loved ones, a deeper connection to nature, and feelings of peace and tranquility.

Norwegian anthropologist Signe Johanson, who wrote How to Hygge, says that the interest in hygge "isn't just because people are being duped by clever marketers."  She receives a lot of emails from readers in the UK and North America who find the idea of hygge 

... a soothing element in times of upheaval, and who are genuinely interested in why and how Scandinavia has achieved such a high quality of life.

Trend, aesthetic, or something more?

Hygge is something we already know how to do.  You've probably experienced hygge without even knowing it – the last time there was a snow day, for example, or when your power went out for the evening.

Hygge is a feeling.  It costs nothing.  In fact, explains Johanson, if you're even thinking too much about it you're kind of missing the point.  She explains, 

Hygge is effortless comfort.  It has no element of performance.  It is the absence of all pretense and worry. 

Hygge is about finding joy in the moment.*

* This blog is reader-supported.  When you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.

16 ways to experience hygge today

1.  Make time for a relaxed dinner with loved ones.

Ditch your phone and enjoy laughter and conversation (and light a few candles if you feel like it).

2.  Curl up with a good book.

Add some fluffy socks and a warm blanket, if you like.  Let your pet curl up near you.  Great novels to read in the winter include The Snow Child and Murder on the Orient Express.

3.  Visit a cozy pub with friends.

This isn't really about going for a drink.  It's about relaxing and being together.  So a glass of wine, a cold beer, a mug of hot apple cider, or a foamy latte work equally well.  Share your day, share your ideas, avoid political debates and celebrity gossip.  Just be with your people!

4.  Bundle up and go for a long walk.

Breathe deeply.  Observe the sky, the trees, the birds.  Notice how colors appear brighter against the monochromes of winter.  Be refreshed!

5.  Make time to savor breakfast.

Most of us are rushing around in the morning, and not only skip breakfast, but lose the chance to connect with our families.  But with just 20 extra minutes you can make and eat whole grain toast topped with a fried egg and freshly ground pepper or some nut butter and sliced banana.  Or cook some old-fashioned oats, adding raisins, walnuts, and a dusting of cinnamon.  

Have everyone pitch in so you can work and eat together.  It's a great start to your day.

6.  Bring out old photos.

Remember friends and family, special celebrations and wonderful trips.  Reminisce with your partner, or share stories with your kids or grandkids.

7.  Listen to music.

Sing along with the tunes you loved in high school, play some of your holiday favorites, or meditate on something deep and emotional such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata or violinist Angèle Dubeau playing the music of Ludovico Einaudi.

8.  Make something.

Bring out your knitting needles or crochet hook and a skein of soft, beautiful yarn.  Draw, color, or paint.  Build Lego or do a jigsaw puzzle with your child.

9.  Bake.

This isn't the time for something fussy.  Make your favorite banana bread, or some oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies.  Enjoy a portion warm from the oven, then wrap up the rest for lunch treats later in the week.  Savor the delicious, lingering aroma.

10.  Make a cozy nook.

Create a soothing retreat in one corner of your house where you can relax at the end of the day.  Choose your favorite chair and add an ottoman, if you like.  Keep a soft blanket nearby, a lamp, and a table for your tea, journal, and book.  Enjoy the peace and comfort.

11.  Watch a favorite movie.

Choose your favorite comedy or romance, or a beloved holiday film, and watch it alone or with someone else.  Put your phone away and get comfortable.

12.  Play cards.

Cards are so versatile -- games can be simple or competitive.  A regular deck of cards can provide a fun and relaxing evening with friends or family.  Enjoy Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Knock Rummy, or Estimation (a favorite of my husband's family).

13.  Simmer a pot of soup.

This is all about the warmth, the aroma, and the resulting easy, tasty meal.  Just add some crusty bread and butter and you're set.

14.  Relax on Pajama Day.

Choose a day to spend in your pajamas.  Start by enjoying your morning coffee on the back porch, observing nature.  Then get into that book you've been dying to read, or call a friend for a long chat.  Give yourself space and time to do what you like so you have more to give to others.

15.  Pretend the power is out.

Turn off lamps, computers, and appliances (except the fridge).  Gather in one room or around the table.  Light a fire or some candles and enjoy the festive togetherness.

16.  Read aloud.

Get everyone nestled together while you read a stack of picture books, or start a longer book to be read over several nights.  Wonderful winter chapter books include Moominland Midwinter (a Scandinavian fantasy adventure), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, Odd and the Frost Giants (inspired by Norse mythology), and the Edgar-winning children's mystery, Greenglass House. 

To get the most from hygge, slow down and make time for the people and activities that soothe and rejuvenate you.  Pay attention and appreciate the good things in your life.  You'll love the feeling so much you'll want winter to last longer!

Related article: Summertime Hygge: How to Increase Happiness During the Dog Days

Updated June 2026