Book review: The Little Book of Hygge

One day last week, when I got to work, I realized that I hadn’t packed the book that I was already reading. As the weather has been growing colder, I’ve been spending part of my lunch hours curled up by the office fireplace with a couple of my co-workers, powering through whatever I’m reading that week. Little did I know that I was already embracing a hyggeligt lifestyle – the Danish cousin to what we call “slow living.”

Getting together with friends at home, drinking hot drinks, playing board games, and sharing bowls of popcorn are all things that I (and most people) enjoy doing. All of these activities are considered to be hygge. It’s all about appreciating the moment, and sharing it with others that make you feel relaxed and at your best.

This book had a profound impact on me because we live in such a hyper-connected world. The majority of us have tiny computers that we carry with us everywhere. At times, it seems like calling it a “phone” is a misnomer; most of us hate making/taking phone calls. I got into watching “Follow This” on Netflix, and it turns out that people are forking out $30 000 to go to rehab because their addicted to their technologies of choice. One of the patients was trying to recover from his compulsion to play video games for 14 hours a day. Technology use is a normalized problem.

We have a hard time not taking our attention away from what’s going on in the moment. We use our devices as a crutch. It was nice to read something about getting back to basics and building/maintaining meaningful relationships. No wonder the Danes are the happiest people in the world.

I do my best to be mindful of my cell phone use, but as any human being does, sometimes I falter. For the last little bit, I haven’t been checking my phone for at the first hour after I wake up, and have been putting it away an hour before bed. I also haven’t been bringing it to meetings, because even if it’s face down, it’s a signal to the person(s) that you’re meeting with that what they have to say is not as important as whatever’s going on in your apps. As well, it prompts me to start a conversation with someone, rather than just waiting for my meeting to start.

Don’t just take my word for it. Check out The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well. Then, go spend some time with your loved ones, and those that help you to grow.