004: It's a Hygge Holiday! How this Danish Practice can Boost Your Mood with Cody Cox

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Welcome to the Real Food Mental Health podcast, where we explore the powerful connection between mental and physical health. My name is Cody Cox, a holistic nutritional psychotherapist, and I'm here to guide you on a journey to true wellness mind, body, and spirit. If you're tired of quick fixes and want real solutions that address the root cause, you're in the right place. Let's get started on your path to lasting wellness. Welcome back to Real Food Mental Health. I just wanted to share one quick thing with you before we get into today's episode. That is that I'm giving out a free holistic holiday gift guide. So if you'd like to take advantage of that, go to Beaver Creek wellness.com/holiday. You're listening to Real Food Mental Health with Cody Cox. Lately we are in sweater weather. It's November. I live in northern Utah and currently the weather is dark, cloudy, and I think most people jump to the conclusion that dark and cloudy is depressing. And maybe there is some science to that. I mean, there is Seasonal Affective Disorder, which technically isn't an official diagnosis anymore, but people still have seasonal depression. How do we battle that? So coming back to the sweater weather idea, there's a book that I read a couple of years ago. It's called The Little Bit The Little Book of Hygge, The Danish way to live. Well, now Hyuga, it's a Danish word. It's hygge. There are different pronunciations for it. It's a little bit controversial. I'm just going to say Hyuga. I even found a blog and YouTube videos. I tried to figure out what the official pronunciation was, but there's so much conflicting information out there. So Hyuga, what is Hyuga who is an intentional sense of coziness? Or you could call it the coziness of the soul, which is how that book kind of describes it. But this time of year I love to practice. Hyuga. Theoretically, you could practice it any time of the year in any weather, doing whatever you want. It's a personal practice. There are different ways of practicing. Hyuga. My favorite ways, though, bring that sense of coziness. Or clinically speaking, you could say it brings a sense of safety, because I think we are all seeking a sense of safety with today's political climate, with the economy, health problems, etc. there are different ways of practicing yoga, so I'm just going to share some of my favorite ways to practice it, and you might find other ways to do so. Remember, the point is to bring an intentional sense of coziness and safety. This might look like lighting some candles in the evening. So it doesn't have to just be candles. But fire tends to be kind of the core of hygge. So the Danish actually consume more candles than any other country in the world. It's because they're practicing yoga. They're also one of the happiest countries in the world. And so you could argue that hygge boosts mental health. And so even though we have seasonal depressive disorder, we can boost our mental health through the practice of Hyuga. It's a mindfulness based practice because mindfulness is paying attention on purpose in the present moment, non-judgmental. So essentially what you're doing is paying attention to the present moment with a spirit of acceptance. But you're doing it on purpose. And so you would practice Hyuga in that way, where you are finding that sense of coziness by lighting your candles, lighting a fire in the fireplace, listening to you, your favorite music, maybe calming music. You are eating a delicious meal. You are watching your favorite show. But I think one of the most important aspects of Hyuga that might be often overlooked is spending time with loved ones, and hopefully this time with loved ones is not a source of conflict. Because if it is, maybe it's not hygge, maybe it's not mindfulness. So if you're going to practice Hyuga with loved ones, make sure it's with people that you feel relatively safe around. And if there isn't really anybody like that for you right now, that's okay. There are ways to do it on your own. With those things that I mentioned before, you might find other ways to practice it as well. Like I said, it is a personal practice and so find what works for you. What you're doing is you're seeking that sense of safety, that sense of coziness. Uh. And so that might look differently from one person to the next. But for me, that's practicing yoga, lighting candles, listening to soft, calming music. And even that is kind of a personal opinion thing. Like there are some pieces of music that people listen to they say are relaxing, but I find them a little bit too upbeat and they're not so Hyuga for me. And so sometimes you have to put on headphones. If you've got roommates or family members that share a house with you, you might have to put on headphones and take a little bit of solitude to find that sense of safety so you can control the music, or hopefully the people you are living with are okay with enjoying that experience with you in the moment as well. You might even share music, so maybe you play your Hyuga music and then your roommate or your family member could could play their idea of hookah music and you could spend that time together. Because a sense of connection is one of the main things I found that people are lacking when it comes to suffering from depression. And so if you can find a way to connect not just with other people, but with yourself, that theoretically should boost your mood. So do what you can to find that intentional sense of coziness. Hyuga. It's been a while since I've read this book, but I don't know how many generations it's been that the Danish have been practicing this concept. The Norwegians supposedly also practiced this concept, but I believe it originated in Denmark. It's a it's pretty far north. It's a pretty dark country. They have a lot of clouds, as far as I know. I haven't been there myself. If you live in the United States, you probably don't live in a place as cloudy as Denmark, at least in most of the country, unless you live in like, Alaska or something. Maybe in the state of Washington or somewhere pretty far north. But. If you live in most of the U.S., you probably get lots of sunlight. Go outside. Go for a walk because the Danish do that as well. As part of their Hugo practice, they say that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. And so sometimes, like, even if it's cold and snowy, like, it gets here in Utah. Bundle up. Go outside. Anyway. There is a lot to be said for what the sunlight can do for our health, especially our mental health, because, I mean, I can get into the science here, but I think I'm going to go more deeply into it in another episode. Um, it signals to the brain that it's daytime. And essentially what it does is when the brain knows that it's daytime, the brain send signals to the other organs to release the right chemicals at the right time to keep you awake and alert. So it boosts cognitive function for that reason. So go outside, get some sunshine. Even in the dead of winter, we're coming up on December, the darkest time of the year. But that doesn't mean that you have to be depressed. Practice. Hyuga, go outside. Spend time with loved ones. Find an intentional sense of coziness. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure you subscribe. Share it with your friends. If you have questions or recommendations for the podcast, you can send me a message through my website at Beaver Creek wellness.com. You could also send me a message through signal. It's end to end encrypted. It's a free app. My username is Cox oh seven Cox .07. If you are interested in getting services from me, you must be in Utah to get psychotherapy from me. Otherwise, depending on the state that you're in, I may be able to see you online for nutrition. All my information is on my website, Beaver Creek wellness.com. I look forward to seeing you next time. Real food Mental Health is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The information presented on this podcast is not intended to replace any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. While I am a health care provider, I am not your provider. Always seek the advice of an appropriate health care practitioner with any personal questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on information provided by this podcast is at your own risk.