Add this 7 Day Disney Hygge Challenge to your list of things to do in the New Year. Hygge is the art of comfortness, togetherness and well being. And if you’ve taken notice of book lists or the cultural bandwagon lately you’ll notice everyone telling you how to live your best life. From what we know about the Danish, Hygge mostly involves a lot of cozy things you need to survive winter. It also encourages down time, sleep, joy, nature, and cooking. So what do you get when you mix well being and Disney? A weeks worth of healthy guidance from our favorite Disney characters that you should incorporate into your life more often.
Hygge One Week Challenge
It’s no secret we get most of our guidance from Disney movies and couldn’t resist adding a Disney spin on the regular Hygge practices. Perfect on your own, as a family or with friends these are simple lessons about slowing down and smelling the roses. If you live in America, chances are that you have busy schedules that will make this a little more difficult, but not impossible. Take the challenge, it may not be as tough as you think and help put you back in touch with yourself, with what’s important and the art of self care and relaxation. Here’s a full week of what you need to do to re-center and re-group!
Monday | Make a Hot Drink
To start your week, settle in after work and make a warm drink. We like Tiana’s Place Mickey Cinnamon Latte from the Disney Wonder, but cocoa with Mickey marshmallows could also do the trick. The key here is to spend some time just enjoying something cozy. We also LOVED the Cinderella Pumpkin Chai with real pumpkin.
So we can really make sure our butts don’t leave the relaxation chair too soon we also like to add THE BEST recipe for Man-Catching Beignets to any sort of relaxation day.
The Princess and The Frog: Tiana is the hardest working girl we’ve every seen. And while she could hustle with the best of em ,it was only when she slowed and reevaluated her heart that she realized what she really needed. Chances are you’ll get the same epiphany if you just take a break and sip a hot beverage.
Tuesday | Journal a Wish List
If a dream is a wish your heart makes, have you checked in with your heart lately to see what your dreams are? New Years resolutions are usually about working out, or sleeping on a schedule, or volunteering somewhere, but instead take a tip from Cinderella and declare your big dreams. Grab a journal and write them down. 30 minutes is ideal for journaling because its just long enough to force you to think deeper than just wanting some new shoes. What dreams are important to you? Maybe its something simple like going to Italy, or something bigger like having kids. Write em down. Remind yourself what’s important.
Cinderella: This girl could do faith and focus with a vengeance. While nothing in her experience was ever going to prepare her for a fairy godmother, that dress or a pumpkin coach, all she had to do was say what she wanted. To go to the ball. Don’t try to figure out “how” to get all the things you want. Just write them down, perhaps some magic and miracles will come across your path too.
Wednesday | Add Flowers
Buy flowers or a plant from the store and bring them home. Apart from smelling lovely and being gorgeous, plants help neutralize negative ions in your home, encouraging calmer energy and piece of mind. Weird, yes, but true. I know i always feel happier with a vase of 5 dollar tulips on the table and it truly does make you feel rich to be someone who has fresh flowers at home. Add all the flowers and plants you can find this week, it’s sure to spruce up your home and your mood.
Alice in Wonderland: She may have been curious to a fault, but we think that’s a good thing. Alice loved laying about on the hillside in the flowers with her sister and her cat, thinking about things and watching the clouds. Sounds like an ideal life. Be sure to spend some time with the flowers yourself and grab the movie if you need inspiration. Hygge is all about connecting with nature and making your home more nature friendly.
Thursday | Laughter Therapy with Friends and Family
Grab some family time this evening or invite friends over. This evening is not about being on your phone while in each others company, it’s about being together and establishing a ritual of joy. Tonight, instead of talking about problems, or schedules, or bills, you’re just going to hang out and watch cartoons and laugh.
Mickey Shorts: Our top pick is a binge watching event of Mickey Mouse shorts. If you have not seen these Emmy Award Winning cartoons know that you find them for free on Youtube or grab season 1 on amazon. They’re about 5 minutes each and tackle every problem you can think of. These are laugh out loud, but in classic Disney cartoon fashion, so you only get the jokes if you are actually watching the screen ( again, no phones).
Friday| Date Night Make at Home Dinner
The Hygge diet calls for fresh foods, lots of vegetables and care taken in your preparation and cooking. Grab the ingredients for Ratatouille this week. As our Friday night dinner, this French dish consists of veggies layered in dish with sauce and is hearty and warm and cozy. You’ll spend some time slicing veggies but it will be well worth it. This is one of our favorite winter dishes. And if you’re looking for extra cozy, check out our Lady and the Tramp Movie Night dinner with the pups.
Ratatouille: We love this show. Not everyone can cook, but a great cook can come from anywhere. Talk about pulling yourself up out of the gutter! And loving every bit of the person you are ( or rat) no apologies. For Hygge purposes we’re going to take a tip from Remy and just savor everything. Savor the smells, savor the chopping, savor the tastes. Check out our quick Ratatouille recipe for a wonderful veggie dinner.
Saturday | Get Outside
In Ohio, its freezing right now, so we totally understand if you can’t get outside due to the winter weather. Keep in mind however that in Denmark, its pretty cold too and they still manage. Even if it’s just to shovel your driveway or walk farther to the supermarket door revel in being outside for a little bit today. Preferably you’d find a close by park with trails you can walk for 20 minutes or so, alone or with a buddy. Hygge is about enjoying nature. So whether its a waterfall, a park, a beach or a forest, just get out there. The Wilderness must be explored.
Up: There is no better movie to explain this Hygge concept than UP. Carl would have just stayed in his house all day for the rest of his life had it not been for Russ pulling him outside, physically and metaphorically. Get outside, explore a little, notice what wasn’t noticed before, and see how you change.
Sunday | Cozy Movie Matinee
There is nothing cozier than staying in a Sunday afternoon ignoring all the stuff you’re supposed to do. We like naps and according to Hygge, you’re supposed to take those too! This Sunday, set aside at least two hours after lunch for a cozy mid-afternoon movie. We like the old stuff. The classic ones people talk about from the “good old days”. Anything with Dean Jones will do. You would remember him from the Beethoven movies, but he also did a slew old Disney movies in the sixties we absolutely love! Check out all our Disney Movie Afternoon ideas with snacks.
That Darn Cat: We love this movie! Every line is hilarious, and there’s some slapstick comedy here at its best. Hayley Mills is perfect as she tries to help solve a kidnapping. But it’s DC (Darn Cat) who actually ends up uncovering the criminals at large. Definitely a must-see for your cozy afternoon at home.
Everywhere Else You Can Find Hygge
If you’re interested in the movement, loads of countries have been following suit after Denmark shared its Hygge Practices. See below for our booklist of books on well-being. And yes, while we like to see that people are actually competing to be the happiest, the most healthy, and the most balanced, we’re quite sure Disney had a handle on it all along.
- Little Book of Hygge Danish secrets to happy living
- Lagom: Not too little, Not too much The Swedish art of living a balanced life
- Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up The Japanese Art of tidying up
- Little Book of Lykke The secret of the worlds happiest people
- Ikigai The Japanese secret to a long and happy life
- Fika: The Swedish art of the coffee break
We hope you have fun tackling this Disney challenge. Pin the quick infographic below to keep this handy whenever your life needs a little reflection and relaxation.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
