The Hyggelig Journey

The pandemic has drawn a veil between us and those we love. Friends, family, faces once so close now seem like shadows of a memory that insists on slipping through the cracks of time. But physical distance need not mean absence – there are invisible threads that stitch us together, even when touch is denied. Inside the home, where life pulses within familiar walls, why not seek the warmth of togetherness? Cooking together, blending flavours and laughter, letting the aroma of a well-prepared meal awaken a sense of belonging. And for those who find refuge in the sacred, why not turn the home into a temple, allowing faith to drift gently through open windows? What is essential, that never fades. It endures, silent yet strong, in the simple act of remembering that, in some way, we remain together.

Often, due to anxiety, thoughts can become chaotic, and there is a certain level of fear about the future. However, simply knowing that you are doing something productive – whether it be undergoing acupuncture treatment, exercising, or practising self-massage – can help reduce worries about things beyond your control. It is always good to remember that your attitude and reaction are always within your control, and that matters more than predicting everything that might happen tomorrow.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, symbolism is often used to explain certain patterns of illness. For example, it is said that sadness and melancholy harm the lungs, as these emotions consume, dissolve, and disperse qi , leading to a heavy-hearted mood. Melancholy, here defined as pensive sorrow, is a form of sadness that involves deep and serious contemplation, overshadowing worry due to its highly concentrated, ruminative nature. As a result, melancholy affects both the spleen-pancreas and the lungs. The impact of these emotions on the spleen-pancreas can lead to digestive disorders, including loss of appetite, loose stools, weight loss, epigastric pain, abdominal distension, and constipation. In everyday language, melancholy is sometimes described as “feeling down,” characterised by sadness combined with apathy. When excessive, this can contribute to certain forms of depression marked by sorrow. This may occur because deeply melancholic individuals tend to lack an optim...

Research suggests that approximately one-third of the world has an innate capacity for emotional intelligence – defined as the ability to recognise an emotion as you are experiencing it, a concept often referred to as "mindfulness." The remaining two-thirds, despite being emotional beings as well, tend to overlook what they feel and think. This happens because whatever we focus on grows, but if you ignore your perception, you weaken an essential resource. Ultimately, this affects the way people live and relate to others, reinforcing the saying: "My generation goes to therapy because yours didn’t." We have a deeply ingrained bias in how we deal with negative thoughts, instinctively clinging to negativity as it is. This often leads to the impression that life is hopeless. Without pausing to acknowledge negative thoughts, the electrical impulses in the brain associated with them are converted into neuroamines, which directly affect the limbic system – the...

Managing, controlling, and understanding your own emotions, as well as being aware of the emotions of those around you, is what enables individuals to adapt and adjust their behaviour to suit their environment and guide their thinking towards a more beneficial outcome. This outcome may relate to a difficult decision, work performance, interpersonal relationships, or even be a matter of self-care. You inevitably demonstrate how well you manage your emotions by showing your ability to relate well to others and foster cooperation. For this to happen, it is necessary to learn how best to handle emotions and use them positively. Emotional responses arise from the things we pay attention to, but more importantly, they can be mediated by conscious thought. Motivation, for example, is an emotion and, as such, fluctuates over time. Enthusiasm, on the other hand, is a cognitive state and can be actively triggered by willpower. When you feel unmotivated, it is not entirely impossib...

One of the simplest and most effective tools to guide what you intend to do is to name your emotions. This reduces the raw intensity of emotions, giving us the space to respond in a more deliberate way. The simple act of naming bridges the gap between thoughts and emotions, allowing us to be more intelligent with our feelings—something necessary if we are to use them as a resource rather than feel overwhelmed by them. The exercise is simple. Next time you experience a really strong emotion, share the obvious with yourself: I am frustrated, or angry, or sad, or overwhelmed. This is extremely effective and opens a door for us to respond in the way we truly want. However, because of the way we have been socialised to think about difficult emotions, you may find yourself avoiding acknowledging that you are angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed—something that is not entirely helpful. When we are trapped in the self-destructive mindset that some emotions are bad and that we should...