The Hyggelig Journey

Anxiety is a very generous word, so generous that it makes a lot more sense in the plural, anxieties. This is because, like a large umbrella, a load of elements can fit under it. However, despite its multitude of disturbances and manifestations, anxiety can be traced back to quite simple and predictable stress triggers. In its origins, it is much more visceral and organic than people imagine. A common trigger, for example, is hunger. You can lose hunger, overeat, stick to a crash diet, all as a neurovegetative expression of stress. Irritability is another trivial trigger. You are more easily irritated, frustrated, and angry over nothing, cultivating an inner anger, sometimes silent, sometimes explosive. Loneliness is also an important trigger. It is a complex feeling that includes inadequacy, weakened belonging, nostalgia for everything that has already happened and for everything that cannot happen. It is a mood that can be thoughtful, rueful, self-defeating, filled with needi...

Over the years of studying human behaviour, one question has remained particularly complex: why do chronic anxiety sufferers so often push their emotional well-being to the background? How many times have I heard patients say they just can’t relax? That they went to the beach only to return feeling exactly the same? That they took a holiday but never truly unwound? Why is it so difficult for them to switch off from anxiety? From a biological perspective, it seems that in individuals with chronic anxiety, the amygdala remains highly sensitive, always on the verge of activation. This fuels that constant sense of uncertainty — the ever-present “what if this happens?” and “what if I can’t handle it?” As a result, the prefrontal cortex struggles to maintain rational thinking, making it easier for irrational thoughts to take hold. Yet, just an hour of mindfulness meditation, a session of music therapy, a visit to the sauna, or even a gentle walk outdoors could be enough to eas...

A defining trait of chronic stress is the unrelenting urgency — the sense that everything must be resolved "yesterday." The weight of this feeling is so immense that, among those acutely aware of their mounting responsibilities, nothing ever truly gets done, for everything is a priority. Another illusion spun by stress is the belief that any moment spent pausing is "wasted time." They believe this because they fail to recognise a fundamental human truth: our emotional energy is not infinite. When your emotional reserves are full, you feel invincible, ready to tackle anything, armed with the inner resources to overcome adversity. But if you are fighting at your weakest, with no glimpse of change on the horizon, you will likely choose to ignore the problem or push it aside for later. It seems contradictory — and in a way, it is — but this is the mind’s defence mechanism. At first, you deny your discomfort, and then, as if by instinct, you declare the matte...

Get moving — movement is therapy. Our bodies are designed to move, and when we honour that need, we unlock a powerful tool for well-being. Ancient practices like yoga, tai chi, and qigong have long been used to harmonise body and mind, promoting balance, flexibility, and inner peace. Whether you prefer structured movement or simple stretches, integrating physical activity into your day can be transformative. A quick search on YouTube can connect you with guided sessions designed to reduce stress, improve posture, and boost energy levels. Even if you have just a few minutes between tasks, a short sequence of sun salutations or a gentle child’s pose can help reset both body and mind. If time is scarce, even a simple act — like lifting your shoulders to your ears, holding briefly, and releasing with a deep exhale — can work wonders in releasing accumulated tension. But movement alone is not the only path to relaxation. Breathwork is an equally powerful ally. The way we breathe...

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...

We are living through something never before seen. A collective grief. A strange and quiet mourning, unfolding in layers. We do not grieve for a single thing, but for many. For the world that was, for the ordinary days that once seemed unremarkable. For the rhythm we had without knowing it was a rhythm. Something has shifted, and we feel it in the body. The loss of normality. The fear of what will become of us. The vanishing thread of social connection. It presses against us, all at once, an invisible weight. And there is a grief that is not yet grief, but already lingers in the air. Anticipatory grief. That sensation of standing at the edge of something vast and uncertain, trying to see what lies ahead, but only meeting fog. It is the grief of what might be, the whisper of a loss that has not yet happened but is already mourned. Usually, it is tied to death. A doctor utters an unspeakable diagnosis, and time fractures. Or, on a quiet afternoon, an ordinary thought slips in: one day, ...