The Hyggelig Journey

Kaizen is a quiet hand, adjusting what seems unchangeable. It does not rush, does not force — just refines, shaping everything with time. A philosophy of small steps, daily refinements, imperceptible at first, but transformative in the end. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) follows the same rhythm, seeing health not as a fixed state but as a constant dance, a delicate balance in motion. Yin and Yang shift like the wind, never still. Qi moves through the body — sometimes freely, sometimes obstructed, needing space to circulate. When imbalance settles in, illness whispers before it shouts. TCM listens early, adjusting with subtlety, never imposing, only guiding. Like Kaizen, it does not seek abrupt change but gradual realignment, a quiet return to harmony. A small shift — an acupuncture needle barely felt, a slight change in diet, a deeper breath — can echo through the body like the steady rhythm of a heartbeat. What seems trivial today becomes, over time, a foundation of ...

As a writer, one thing that has always caught my attention is the remarkable adaptability of the Brazilian Portuguese language. It is highly versatile — elastic to the point of facilitating the expression of complex thoughts and emotions in both speech and writing. But there is one word that many people tend to avoid, either because they feel it is too strong or because they want to suggest that what they feel is not quite so intense. Time and again, I have seen patients arrive fuming with anger over their daily struggles, yet when confronted, they deny feeling angry. They describe it as something else — indignation, frustration, irritation, annoyance, resentment — when, in reality, they are simply angry. This is partly due to the process of rationalisation, where we seek explanations to make sense of our thoughts and emotions. However, anger is anger. It is not healthy to ignore an emotion that exists precisely to drive adjustments in our daily lives, pushing us to tac...

The difference between today and tomorrow is not as grand as you’d like to believe. Today, you wrestle with obstacles; tomorrow, you expand horizons. But expansion is not a miracle, nor an act of willpower alone. It is an arrangement of details, of decisions, of knowing what to leave behind and what to hold tight. Dreaming is fine, even necessary. But without priorities, dreams dissolve like mist in the morning. Everything is about focus. And focus, they say, makes all the difference. So you insist, persevere, draw up plans, measure steps with precision. That’s good. But remember to be kind to yourself, because life is not a task list. Make space for silence, for a pet stretching lazily in the sun, for a friend’s unexpected message, for family stories that go nowhere but are still worth listening to. Take care of your garden — even if it’s just a stubborn little snake plant in a chipped pot. Of course, indulgence will tempt you. It always does. The weary self whispers: You deserve this...