Why Cosiness Is Good For Us

Cosy is a word often used to describe feeling comfortable and relaxed, and it's something we may appreciate at home to make us feel safe and content. Cosy tends to be used to describe spaces, though it can also be found in spending time with family and friends, your conversations, environment, food and drink.

Hygge (pronounced Hoo-ga) is the Danish lifestyle concept that encompasses a feeling or moment of cosiness and comfort. Denmark is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries  in the world, with many suggesting Hygge plays a large part within this.

More to cosiness than meets the eye

Cosiness can have a positive impact on your mental health, it brings comfort and calm to your life and personal space. This can help reduce anxious feelings, to better allow you to be more present in the moment by letting down your guard, helping you to connect with family, friends, your surroundings and yourself. Emotional benefits of cosiness include an increase in feelings of optimism and self-worth as well as promoting mindfulness.

The body and mind naturally responds to your feelings and environment so putting yourself in a space or moment of cosiness positively impacts your body; feeling more relaxed helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, so you can sleep better.

Finding moments to connect with friends and family as a form of cosiness, can improve your relationships with others and your own wellbeing. Spending time with loved ones creates a sense of belonging  and connection, it could be as simple as having a conversation with someone (even via facetime or on the phone if it isn't possible in person), a coffee date or watching a film. Research has proven that building social connections and belonging to social groups improves your mental health and enhance wellbeing.

How to get cosy?

There are many ways to incorporate cosiness into your life, it’s not about buying expensive rugs and candles it can be as simple such as making a green tea every morning, most importantly it is personal to you. Through creating simple rituals, you can build meaningful moments into your everyday life, so cosiness is not forced but incorporated naturally.

As a starting point to creating a space that is more cosy, reflect upon what objects or items make you feel happy and content, and what makes you feel stressed or anxious. Use this to identify what meaningful objects you want to surround your yourself with, to boost your mood and overall wellbeing.

The same principle can be applied to those you spend your time with. Connecting with those that bring happiness, laughter and love into your life will foster feelings of happiness and comfort. This can be translated to your online presence; try to follow people on social media that can give you that extra bit of inspiration and feed your mind and soul for the better.

 Here are some top accounts that we follow for some positive vibes for skin, self  and wellbeing:

@anjalimahto

@shareefa_j

@bahiayoga

How can you adapt your life to create an atmosphere or moment of cosiness to improve your holistic wellbeing? tell us in the comments below or discover more tips by following us @wearewo_uk