THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
In 2016, hygge was marketed as the secret to happy living. The Danish word essentially signifies the feeling of cosiness and contentment found through enjoying the simple things in life, so it’s usually referenced alongside candles, comfort food, and sweatpants. “If you don’t feel hygge, you probably aren’t using the word right,” explains the website Hygge House. But unfortunately, despite many self-help books trying to tell us otherwise, spending more time reading in a cosy nook won’t single-handedly cure the global mental health crisis.
Four years on from the world’s introduction to hygge, sweatpants are no longer being worn to encompass the Danish way of life. Rather, they’ve become the unofficial uniform of the Covid-19 pandemic as we battle burnout, fear, anxiety, and languishing—a viral new term to describe the ‘blah’ feeling that sits directly in the middle of depression and flourishing. Or as New York Times journalist Adam Grant puts it, “You’re not functioning at full capacity. Languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and triples the odds that you’ll cut back on work.”
Since the first lockdowns began, the rise in people using mindfulness and therapy apps has jumped substantially. Calm, Headspace and Smiling Mind have been there for those who need a quick breathwork meditation while online therapists at Talkspace and BetterHelp can be matched with new patients and text advice straight to their phones.
The lasting mental effects the pandemic has had on society are yet to be determined, but
