Hello hygge, have you come to find me?
A season of slow career contentment
Nippy nights arrive
Walking to the grocery store tonight, crisp clouds of breath materialise in the darkness ahead of me. It follows the first autumn day with a real bite in the air.
And it’s strangely comforting.
Strange because I’ve always been drawn to warmer climes and long days of energising summer sunshine.
Yet an unfamiliar sensation bubbles up.
It’s like a heavy blanket is enfolding me, as evenings arrive ever earlier, and I hear autumn whispering, “now is the season for cosiness”.
Is this how hygge feels?
Hi, I’m Holly - coach, mindfulness facilitator and author of Zestful Zen. I write about self-care, change, personal growth, mindfulness, and purpose. If you like life to be full of zest and energy, complemented by a zen, calm mind, Zestful Zen is the community for you! 💖✨
Captivating calmness
The inky skies outside prompt me to leave the office sooner and I become more of a homebody, snuggled with my furry family.
But it’s not only about rest. The bracing chill is invigorating and wrapped up in my fleecy hat I feel vitally alive.
But at an unhurried pace.
Happily observing the turning leaves earlier as the crossing lights stay red and I miss my bus home.
Maybe this is also contentment?
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
As I’ve slowed down in recent days, I’ve noticed a new acceptance that things will come to fruition when and how they’re meant to.
My striving has lessened. My entrepreneurial ambition remains, but in a calmer way.
There’s a quiet confidence that I’ll achieve my goals, in time and with grace. No need to stress and impatiently rush things.
I’m not sure where this conviction has come from, but somehow this season of cosiness has sparked steadiness and certainty.
Have I hit my hygge phase?
Writing these words this evening, my curiosity got the better of me and I Googled ‘hygge’.
There are lots of explanations out there (and of course concepts don’t always translate that well into English). But the Merriam Webster dictionary definition caught my eye:
Hygge is “a cosy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable”.
That certainly describes how I feel right now.
I’m content, both with where I am, and where I’m headed. And I’m comfortable with how I’m getting there, and my pace.
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
I’m not sure how or why this sense of calm, slow growth has washed over me.
Perhaps hygge can apply to seasons of life and career paths, as well as being associated with seasons of nature?
Perhaps I’ve hit the hygge period of my solopreneur transition?
Maybe it won’t last long. But while it’s here, I’m embracing my Hygge Holly phase.
Questions for self-reflection or journalling
What brings you quiet confidence?
Where do you feel contentment, right now?
Where is there a sense of cosiness in your life?
What “season” are you in right now – in your career, or other parts of life?
Let’s share ✨
I’d love to hear your thoughts about hygge and contentment. Is cosiness seasonal for you? How does it link to calmness and contentment?
Have a sublime Saturday, friends! 🌞
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It’s funny that you had your first ‘crisp’ day because I was just thinking today feels like our first real summer day, where the mornings and evenings are still warm enough for a tshirt and shorts. But I definitely feel you on the contentment side of things 🤍
This is so interesting, Holly! I had a similar experience last year when I randomly became supremely content in November of all things. I was confused and didn’t know what I was feeling. I thought it might be boredom, but then I realized it was contentment and the absence of strain. I wrote a post about it called The Novembers But Backwards. It’s lovely to think of it as hygge.