My word of the year this year was Hygge, the Danish/Norwegian word for coziness, wellness, and contentment. I really wanted to focus on finding ways to quiet down the parts of my life that were too fast, too loud, too much, and too stressful. 

I started 2022 with a sense of deep loss and deep desire to move forward. Over the last couple of years we have lost some pretty important people in our lives, my parents and one of my brothers moved from FL  to VA, and I was in a job that was slowly bringing out the worst in me. 

I knew I needed a life altering change, but until that was possible I needed to find healthy ways to cope. Hygge sounded like a great word to usher in more calm, more coziness, warm beverages, low lights, time with friends, baking, baking, and reading. All things I love and all part of my Hygge 2022 plan.

Some of the tangible things I did to create a sense of Hygge in 2022 before we exploded our lives

• Added lamps, stopped using overhead lighting unless necessary

• Bought fresh flowers as often as possible 

• Baked/Cooked new and favorite recipes often

• Turned on the Netflix fireplace for a cozy atmosphere

• Listened to rain sounds and instrumental music in the background while I worked

• Had a beverage in a real mug at least once a day (most days)

• Made a goal to read 24 books this year

• Kept small chocolates around the house for a treat with my coffee or before bed

• Maintained my house plants

• Had one day a month with no social media

• Sent more snail mail

• Bought seasonal throw pillows and blankets for our couch

• Work from a coffee shop as much as possible

After we exploded our lives

• Write from a coffee shop as often as possible

• Drink coffee on the front porch

• Use heated blankets

• Decorate our room with soft string lights

• Snuggle with Lucy

• Take Lucy on walks

• Play in my Dad’s garden

• Walk to places in town

Taking time to intentionally slow down parts of my life has been helpful in keeping my anxiety from completely taking over my brain. I still had days with too much planned, days trying to plan too far in advance, days without a warm beverage in a mug, days where life was anything but cozy and balanced. Keeping a daily Hygge list in my journal helped me to keep track of how much and how often I was forgetting to slow down and be cozy. Each day I tracked reading, coffee in a mug, treat, meditation, and ambiance. Without fail, days that I could check all five hygge tasks were a little easier and cozier.

There was a chunk of time right around the explosion of our lives that I completely forgot about my word of the year. I don’t know that you can make selling your house, moving, and deciding you need a new career hygge. If you can, I certainly missed that memo. There wasn’t a ton of Hygge from July to the middle of September. Everything was overwhelming, emotionally draining, and far from cozy. In September I tried to pull back on some of my unrealistic expectations for our move. I gave myself time to start grieving the life we had, time to not think about the future, time to have no fucking plan for once in my life. Instead we went to Seattle, WA, on a cruise to Alaska, visited Orlando a few times, visited Greenville, SC, drove to Asheville for girls days with my mom, her bestie, and Trader Joe. 

As 2022 comes to a close, I am thankful for the cozy contentment I was able to cultivate because I chose hygge as my word of the year. I plan to continue these hygge practices into 2023 and beyond, because why not keep trying to cozy up your life.

Did you pick a word of the year for 2022? Share your word and any impacts it had on your year in the comments.