Hygge

As shown in my previous post, getting rid of unnecessary stuff in your life will actually make you happier (while allowing you to save money in the process). Society generally doesn't want you to do this (not generously spending your money). If you are able to look at your life from a different angle, you may find yourself wondering where all that happiness comes from.

Life is a seesaw

Balancing life is not easy - kids to school, walking the dog, full-time work, gym classes along with various life administration that always needs to be done. This is just one example of a particularly busy lifestyle (your mileage may differ). But a lifestyle where you give yourself time to appreciate the life you are living might very well make you happier.

"How do I do that?" you may ask. "I can barely look after myself, let-along juggle the 101 other things going on in my life right now!"

A good question. The answer is scarily simple - organisation. Have a diary or planner and condense your life into it. In fact, make it your entire life. Don't go anywhere without it. Plan each day and each week in advance, have goals and tick them off as they are completed. Live with purpose.

With a diary and a properly planned-out week, even the busiest person can create time for themselves; to reflect, to meditate, to exercise, to plan, to enjoy where you are in that moment. Creating this time for yourself, ideally once a day but at minimum a couple of times a week can have tremendous benefits to your happiness and mental health. Life is busy, but take time to slow down.

Appreciate the small things

A study by Texas A&M University found that enjoying the little things in life is key to a fulfilling life: ..."intrinsic beauty in life's everyday moments can contribute to a more meaningful existence."

That's a profound statement and is precisely the opposite of what most people do. You see, I believe in using properly-researched science as the guiding principle in how to live my life, so we should take the above research seriously. Isn't this obvious and shouldn't you already know this?

Have you put it into practise? It's much more difficult to do this. And what does it mean anyway?

Everyone has different interpretations of what "enjoying everyday moments are", but to me, this includes:

• Watching the sunrise or sunset.

• Staring at the sky and watching the clouds roll past.

• Enjoying the sound and sight of long grass swashing in the wind on a summer's day.

• Reading a good book (ideally whist sitting in the sun).

• Enjoying a mug of (Yorkshire) tea.

• Close company of family and friends.

I don't yet have children, but I'm sure for a lot of parents, life's happiest moments may come from moments with your children - perhaps watching them play in a park or feeling the accomplishment of seeing them understand something new.

Enjoying the small things - like this early Spring sunrise.

Notice that all of these items are free (or can be made free quite easily). I'm not suggesting completely vetoing buying anything you want - people should be able to have nice things, and buying something expensive that you really want can bring joy - especially if using delayed gratification to prevent yourself buying too much too quickly. The point is, a life of greater meaning and joy can be easily made without spending too much money.

This brings me back to the title of this blog, Hygge - you may have heard the word - "A feeling of cosiness, contentment, and well-being found in life’s simple pleasures". It's a Danish/ Norwegian word that has gained popularity in the English-speaking world in recent years. As with a lot of things in life, you only need to understand a little bit of the science but have the discipline to put it into practise - it's 20% knowledge and 80% behaviour.

Be more organised - live your life out of a diary - so you can slow down and enjoy life's simple pleasures. Straightforward advice but not as simple as it sounds!