“Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.”
Benjamin Franklin
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the Danish concept of Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”), I have included it as part of my life for around four years now and I think I have it all down to a T!
In his book, The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, defines hygge in varying ways: “Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down.”
The Oxford English Dictionary definition of hygge is “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”
For this light hearted and yet cosy post, I thought I’d share this with you and how you can implement hygge as part of your workspace and make it a little more happier!
It is not all doom and gloom!
It isn’t easy to picture our workplaces as very hygge, but it is a place where it could really be of a benefit to make us feel much more positive about our surroundings, there is nothing worse than feeling blue when we go to work because you don’t want to walk under a cloud all day, instead we’d prefer to start the day with excitement, passion to do the best job we can and treat those around us with kindness.
Work is the perfect opportunity to embrace the positivity of this Danish practice, here are some ways we can achieve it in our workplaces
Surround yourself with things that make you happy
On my desk, I have a picture of my family and a PG Tips Tea monkey that I’ve had since I started my HR career at Woolworths, it serves as a reminder of how far I’ve come in my career and the picture shows me what I am working hard for, to make my family proud and to make them happy.
My colleagues and I are big fans of a good cuppa! We all (well some do!) take it in turns to make a tea for each other, it keeps us going especially on those hectic days when we don’t get a breather from advice calls.
Take lunch outside!
Come rain or shine, taking a lunchtime walk and getting away from your desk can really help refresh the mind, making your afternoon brilliantly productive! Take your packed lunch to the park or walk around the area where you work for 20 minutes and in no time you will feel a difference.
Get a relaxing playlist
Having music on in the office can work wonders, some upbeat songs, can really brighten your day. When I am writing, I like listening to something slow and uplifting, Lauren Daigle is one of my favourites at the moment or I love anything by Brett Young, but each person’s musical tastes are different, so it is about creating whatever feels hygge to you.
Do some #HRactsofkindness
Kindness at work is highly underrated, try practicing kindness daily and again work is a great place for this, plus it lifts everyone’s mood and reduces stress, all whilst making you feel good so everyone is a winner!
I created HR acts of kindness in 2016 and it has been fantastic fun for everyone (even those not in HR) to get involved with and spread a bit of workplace joy.
Starting in September, there will be a monthly HR acts of kindness calendar available to download from my website, so do keep an eye out for it and tick off the tasks as you go!
What do you do to create your own little pieces of happiness at work? I’d love to hear your ideas so do pop a comment in the box below!
Natalie Ellis HR 