The Hyggelig Journey

Shadows serve only to highlight the light. Fearful, fearless — just a matter of choice. A step to the left, another to the right. When fear does not sit at your table, you think light, think blue sky, think laughter in the afternoon. When it does, you think storm, hollow streets, the echo of something missing. But why feed what depletes you? Why give breath to the shadow, why make a home for the cold? Do not lean on what could go wrong. Do not cradle the weight of fear like an old companion. It does not guide you, does not serve you. It only keeps you awake at night, whispering doubts in the dark. Better to weave the day with lighter threads — expectation of good, certainty of warmth. Let thoughts be gentle, let them land soft, like leaves on a river. Repeat. Again. Again. Until thought becomes stone, root, truth. Until the mind believes and fear forgets your name. And when the shadows press close, when they whisper at your door — smile. Say nothing. Only think light,...

Some people are so accustomed to themselves as they are that abandoning what harms them requires a certain amount of time and effort—something that is not for the therapist to judge. I recall a patient whose chronic pain made the periodic use of medication essential for clinical management. Yet, she was reluctant to rely on it. Her refusal to take any medication stemmed from a fear of becoming dependent on it. She associated it with a previous experience, where it took her far too long to wean herself off an antidepressant she had used daily. However, this was now a reheated emotion. What could have been resolved in a few follow-up appointments—if not the worst of the crisis at least—stretched into a long journey of many interventions. But, given her self-imposed limitations, perhaps that was the time she needed and was capable of allowing herself. The most painful part of humanised listening is knowing that much of what is advised and prescribed will be ignored by the patient. Hel...