10 indoor hygge activities I’ll be doing through the lockdown

Mar 19, 2020 | 2 comments

Hi! Hello! How are you all doing? I’ve not been putting a lot of effort into my blog for the past couple years which I am actually super sad about. Afterall this is where it all started when I pubilshed my very first post back in 2015! I’ve been thinking about picking back up on writing so many times, but with the rise of short-form content (hello TikTok, Shorts and Reels) it’s just harder to have time for it all these days. As much as I love creating snappy little styling reels I do also miss long-form and slower content, and I’m secretly hoping that we’ll start seeing a slow shift back to that in the near future. I mean, am I the only one feeling super fatigued by the AMOUNT of content out there some times? Everything is so high speed; similar to our consumption habits. I know everyone seems to love TikTok, I’ve given it a go myself and I do kind of like it too, but man. From a content creator perspective (even not just that, from a social media user perspective too), I’m so tired of feeling like you have to be “in it” and that you need to be onboard with all the newest social media trends alive to keep up. Anyway… moan over.

I wanted to check in here with a bit of a life update (for those of you old-school enough to enjoy the written format) as I feel like we’ve not chatted in ages!

 

(Trigger warning: infertility)

One major thing I have been considering openeing up about for a while is infertility and how this has been affecting our lives for the past 2 years. I’ve been going back and forth about sharing this for so long because well, it’s private and intimate and while I do like keeping things real on here some things are just better kept private. Having said that I’ve felt so incredibly alone in this whole process, and actually, after deciding to just be honest about it I’m amazed of how many other people we meet are actually going through the same. According to WHO 1 in 6 people are affected by infertility on a global scale, so really this is something we should talk way more about, yet there seems to be a lot of shame and taboo evolving around it. It’s something you always think happens to the next person and it’s never something I pictured would happen to me. But as this article states “infertility does not discriminate”, and it can happen to anyone.

As you know if you’ve followed me for some time we were blessed with a beautiful daughter back in 2020. When we decided we wanted children at the time, it didn’t take long from making that decision until I actually had a positive pregnancy test in my hands. Not long after that we felt ready to expand the family again, but as it turns out fate had other plans for us. It took a long time for us to even feel sure and ready to become parents the first time around, but once we did (it’s true what everyone always tells you) there was nothing else we rather wanted. That was it. Wanting to experience it all again so bad and then not being able to conceive has been no less than heartbreaking. At some point it becomes part of your life – you kind of get used to the fact that it’s just not happening. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but we were ultimately left with no other option (if we ever wanted more kids) than to go through IVF. I’m currently on my second round of IVF after one unsuccesful attempt back in fall 2023. Full of hormones and super (!) tired, but feeling okay despite it all. Having spring around the corner and generally experiencing lighter days at the moment helps a lot.

I’m very grateful for where we are and what we have, please know that. So we will have to see what the future brings. I just wanted to open up about this so that maybe if you’re going through the same thing; please know that you’re not alone and I know exactly how you feel <3 And maybe also so you guys know why I might be a little absent sometimes. 

The other day I read a quote that sounded something like ‘saving lives has never been easier these days; stay home as much as possible’. And in a way it’s true – but I do also know that there are lots of people, especially those who get most of their energy from socializing or who might have small children, who find it quite tricky to stay in so many days in a row. Not to mention the people who still need to go to work everyday, so that the world doesn’t stop completely (you guys are heroes!). No matter what, social distancing and staying at home is what we all need right now, to flatten the coronavirus curve. The more effectively we follow our local authorities, the sooner we will get to go back to normal life again. We do grocery shopping around twice a week at the moment (and we stick to either the early morning hours or right before closing time, to avoid to large crowds of people – and of course we’re being careful with hygiene while doing so too), and then we walk the dog a couple times throughout the day as well as take some longer walks in the forest. That’s it.

We’ve turned up the at-home hygge a bit more recently – when I’m not working especially. But actually also when I do work. I’m still uploading content as per usual on all my platforms and I feel more privileged than ever, to have a job that is so flexible. Seriously. I’m so grateful! That being said, I would like to send out some thoughts to those who might be struggling right now (especially small, independant brands and shops). If I can help out in any way, please send me a DM on Instagram or send me an email. And I’d like to encourage you all to be a little extra generous with likes, hearts, comments and positive reviews online as well. We gotta support where we can right now. And it doesn’t cost you a dime to send off a like! Anyway, today I wanted to share some inspiration on how to make your time at home as hygge as possible, during these times of the lockdown.

Den anden dag læste jeg et quote der lød noget i retningen af, at dét at redde liv lige nu aldrig har været nemmere; bliv hjemme som meget som muligt. Og i sagens natur er det jo sandt – men jeg ved, at der også er mange mennesker, især dem som henter energi udefra ved at være omgivet af andre mennesker eller har små børn, som finder det ganske udfordrende, det her med at blive hjemme. For slet ikke at tale om mennesker ansat i kritiske funktioner, som stadig er ude og holde hjulene igang for alle os andre (tak for jer!). Uanset hvad er det dét der skal til, for at få smittekurven af coronavirus til at falde, og jo mere effektivt vi alle følger regeringens henvisninger, jo hurtigere kan vi alle komme tilbage til en normal hverdag igen. Vi handler ind ca. 2 gange i ugen p.t. (og gør det enten tidligt om morgenen eller sent om aftenen, for at undgå folkemængder – og så tager vi selvfølgelig alle de forholdsregler vi kan ift. hygiejne), og så går vi tur med hunden et par gange om dagen, udover de lidt længere gåture vi også tager gennem skoven i vores nabolag. That’s it.

Til gengæld har vi også skruet lidt ekstra op for hyggen herhjemme – når jeg altså ikke arbejder. Eller, faktisk også når jeg arbejder. For jeg uploader stadig content på alle mine platforme som jeg plejer, og faktisk har jeg aldrig følt mig mere priviligeret over, at have så fleksibelt et job som i disse tider. Virkelig. Jeg er så taknemmelig! Når det er sagt så sender jeg lige et skud ud til alle dem (især små, selvstændige virksomheder) som måtte kæmpe lige nu. Hvis jeg på nogen måde kan gøre noget, så send mig en DM på instagram eller en mail. Og så vil jeg på det stærkeste opfordre jer alle til, at være ekstra gavmilde med likes, hjerter, kommentarer og positive anmeldelser online lige nu. Vi må støtte dér hvor vi kan. Og det koster ikke en krone at smide et like! I alle tilfælde kommer her i hvertfald lidt ekstra inspiration til, hvad I kan fylde hverdagen i hjemmet med her i karantænen.

Bake something

Maybe you haven’t been able to do grocery shopping, so it’s an “empty the cupboards” kinda cake you’ll end up with. In any case I think most of us have many of the ingredients already, to make some homemade buns or bake a really simple cake. We made a banana cake the other day because we had some overripe bananas for example. We already had all the other ingredients we needed for the cake. You can find the (Danish) recipe right HERE, and you can also have a look at some of the other recipes I’ve shared on my blog through time right HERE. It’s so lovely when the smell of freshly baked cake or bread starts spreading through the house.

Måske har du ikke fået handlet ind, så vi er ude i en slags “tøm skabet kage”, og faktisk tror jeg de fleste af os ofte ligger inde med de ganske simple ingredienser det kræver, at bage en portion boller eller en simpel kage. Vi bagte en banankage den anden dag, fordi vi havde lidt bananer liggende som var blevet brune. Resten af ingredienserne havde vi allerede. Find opskriften på kagen HER, og kast iøvrigt et blik på de opskrifter jeg har delt herinde gennem tiden lige HER. Det er så hyggeligt når duften af nybagt brød og kage spreder sig gennem huset.

Download a computer game you love

Right, so I’ve installed Sims 4 on my computer. Yep. And my DM’s exploded over on Instagram when I shared the news over there haha! It seems as though we are many people who have enjoyed playing The Sims since the start of it all many years ago, and I love it. Maybe Sims is not your thing. If you’re looking for a fun and cozy game to play on your phone I highly recommend the Papa’s games. Papa’s Freezeria, Papa’s Pizzaria and Papa’s Cupcakeria in particular. In all its simplicity it’s about making perfect ice creams, pizzas and cupcakes for your customers. A really cozy way to spend some time (which will probably leave your mouth running though, be warned!).

Ja, jeg har altså hentet Sims 4. Simpelthen. Og min indbakke eksploderede nærmest da jeg delte det ovre på instagram, haha! Vi er mange der har spillet The Sims lige siden det udkom i tidernes morgen, og det er altså bare sindssygt hyggeligt. Måske er Sims ikke lige din ting. Hvis du leder efter et sjovt og hyggeligt spil til telefonen, så kan jeg anbefale Papa’s spillene. Der findes både Papa’s Freezeria, Papa’s Pizzaria og Papa’s Cupcakeria (sikkert mange flere). Det går ganske enkelt ud på, at lave perfekt is, pizza og cupcakes til sine kunder. Ret hyggeligt tidsfordriv (som dog også gør dig umådeligt lækkersulten, så er du advaret!).

Feel-good movies

I’ve already watched some of my faves such as The Intouchables and Good Will Hunting. Morten and I also watched Hook the other day, which is among our favourite childhood movies. There’s just no movie quite like that one! In the same category I also watched Charlie And The Chocolate Factory the other day. We’ve also talked about starting over with all the Harry Potter films. That’s sort of a cozy “task” to give yourself through the lockdown, I think. Besides that we’ve got Friends running on the TV constantly as well, and we’re also watching various Danish cooking programmes – basically all sorts of TV that will soothe our souls.

Jeg har for længst taget hul på nogle af favoritterne såsom De Urørlige og Good Will Hunting. Senest så Morten og jeg Hook, som hører blandt vores yndlings barndomsfilm. Der er seriøst ingen film som den! I samme kategori så jeg Charlie Og Chokoladefabrikken den anden dag. Den er også god. Vi har også snakket om, at starte på alle Harry Potter filmene igen fra start til slut, hvilket også er en ret hyggelig “opgave” at stille sig selv her i karantænen, synes jeg. Udover det kører der selvfølgelig konstant Friends og Spise Med Price på TV’et – kort sagt, alt vores yndlings TV som bare gør godt i sjælen.

Start at new puzzle

Let’s continue with some activities that are great for both kids and childish grownups a bit, shall we? Morten and I have enjoyed doing puzzles for a few years now. And right before the lockdown, we managed to pick up a new one from one of the local bookshops. We love working on it in the mornings while listening to soundbooks and eating breakfast. Pure hygge, and it’s such a nice way to use your brain all while giving yourself a break from the news and everything related to the virus. We especially love the puzzles from Jan Van Haasteren, because the images of these are always quite quirky and fun.

Vi fortsætter med de her aktiviteter som både er for børn og barnlige sjæle lidt endnu. Morten og jeg har de sidste par år virkelig fundet glæden ved, at lægge puslespil. Og lige inden karantænen blev annonceret nåede vi, at købe et nyt i den lokale boghandler. Vi sidder gerne om morgenen og arbejder lidt på det, imens vi hører lydbøger og spiser morgenmad. Sindsygt hyggeligt, og igen bare en dejlig måde at bruge hjernen på samtidig med man giver sig selv en pause fra nyhederne og alt hvad der hedder virus. Vi er især vilde med puslespillene fra Jan Van Haasteren, fordi billederne altid er ret finurlige og skægge.

Declutter

If you’ve got the energy for it, maybe now is the perfect time to go Konmari (read more HERE), and declutter your home? Konmari is a really good practise because not only will the end result be a lovely, decluttered home – you will also learn some things about what kind of a life you want to live in the future through the process. That’s what I experienced in any case. It was actually after giving our old house a round of Konmari, that I slowly started realising how unhappy I was on the job I had back then. It’s a great kickstart for a lifestyle where you’re living aligned with your values and more happiness, but it’s also the start of a more sustainable lifestyle with less clutter. Maybe you have time and energy to declutter your wardrobe as well? If that’s the case, go to my full capsule “what, why, how” right HERE to learn how to build a lasting wardrobe that you love.

Har man overskud til det, så er det måske den perfekte tid lige nu at gå Konmari (læs mere HER), og få ryddet ud i hjemmet? Konmari er en super god øvelse ikke kun fordi slutresultatet jo gerne skulle blive et dejligt, ryddeligt hjem, men også fordi du under processen lærer lidt mere om hvilket slags liv du gerne vil leve fremadrettet. Sådan oplevede jeg det ihvertfald. Faktisk var det efter Morten og jeg gav vores gamle hus en omgang Konmari, at det langsomt begyndte at gå op for mig, hvor ulykkelig jeg var på mit daværende job. Det er en god kickstart til en livsstil med mere værdi og glæde, men også en langt mere bæredygtig hverdag med mindre rod. Det kan også være du endelig har tid og overskud til at kaste dig over din garderobe? I så fald, så kan du få opfrisket hvordan du bygger en holdbar capsule wardrobe lige HER.

Pamper night

My self-care routine hasn’t changed all that much the last couple years, so if you’d like to know more about that read THIS post. Even though I actually do enjoy wearing comfies most days at the moment (hey, when will you get the chance to do that again?), I still make sure to take good care of myself as I do normally. And I do still put on normal everyday wear too sometimes, because it matters a lot in terms of good energy. Even if I’m not going anywhere. That being said, nothing beats the feeling of taking a nice bath or shower, put on a face mask, lather up in your favourite body oil, put on a clean set of comfies – and maybe crawl under the covers with clean sheets too.

Min selvpleje rutine har ikke ændret sig meget de sidste par år, så hvis du vil have et indblik i hvordan den ser ud kan det gøres lige HER. Selvom jeg faktisk nyder at gå rundt i blødt hyggetøj herhjemme de fleste dage lige nu (hallo, hvornår får man lige dén mulighed igen?), så sørger jeg stadig for at passe og pleje mig selv som sædvanligt. Og tager da også almindeligt tøj på nogle dage, for det betyder helt klart også noget for energiniveauet. Også selvom man ikke skal nogen steder hen. Men det er altså så skønt, at tage sig et bad, lægge en ansigtsmaske, smøre sig ind i sin yndlingsolie, iføre sig et rent sæt hyggetøj – og måske endda lægge sig ind under en dyne med rent sengetøj også.

Do a bit of gardening

If you are fortunate enough to have a garden like us, this is the perfect time to do some of the first work out there of the year. Our garden is going to change completely either during fall or next spring (there are too many high maintenance bushes scattered around the entire garden, and we’d also love to build a wooden terrasse), so we’re not going all in on the garden right now. But all the regular stuff like mowing the lawn and trimming the hedge, which is quite nice to do if the weather allows it. It’s a nice way to move your body and get some fresh air while staying home. When we bought our house a new greenhouse came with it as well, and we’re super excited to plant some veggies out there soon. A couple months back we bought some seeds for cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and salad. I think you’re supposed to plant them in small containers and keep them inside for a couple weeks to start off with, and then you plant the sprouts in the greenhouse afterwards. Neither Morten or I know a lot about this stuff, so it’s gonna be a new chapter for us haha!

Hvis du er så heldig at have en have som os, så er det perfekt timing at komme ud og begynde på noget af forårets havearbejde. Vores have skal graves fuldstændigt op enten til efteråret eller næste forår (der er alt for mange buske og bede rundt omkring, og så vil vi rigtig gerne anlægge en træterrasse), så det er begrænset hvad vi orker at gøre ved den nu, andet end almindelig vedligehold som at slå græs og klippe hæk. Men det er nu også ganske hyggeligt hvis vejret tillader det. Det er en fin måde at får rørt sig og få lidt frisk luft, men samtidig holde sig hjemme. Med vores nye hus fuldte også et helt ny drivhus, som vi glæder os meget til at få plantet lidt i. For nogle måneder siden købte vi nogle breve med frø til cherry tomater, agurker og salat. Det er noget med de først skal plantes i nogle kasser indendørs, inden de plantes ud i drivhuset og det skal vi vidst igang med snart. Ingen af os ved noget om den slags, så det bliver et helt nyt kapitel for os haha!

Home workouts

Even though we do take several walks outside on a daily basis, it’s nice to do some additional full body workouts at home too. I still love Bodyfit by Amy on youtube, because she’s got something for all levels. Many of her workouts are without using any equipment too. Besides that, as some of you might know I’ve been doing yoga daily since the start of the year as well – and I still do it. I’m loving Yoga With Adriene on youtube, and my husband and I are actually doing her 30-day challenge together at the moment. We’re on day 18 now, and we’ve come to really enjoy doing yoga both of us. It gives you mental strength and energy, and you get to practise some tools which will allow you to handle things in your daily life with a lot more ease and calmness, which is especially great right now.

På trods af flere gåture dagligt er det også rart nok, at lave nogle små styrketrænings sessioner herhjemme engang imellem. Jeg elsker stadig Bodyfit by Amy på Youtube, da hun har noget for alle niveauer og sværhedsgrader. Og mange af hendes workouts er helt uden brug af udstyr. Udover det så har jeg, som nogle af jer måske ved, siden starten af året lavet yoga hver dag – og gør det stadig. Jeg følger stadig Yoga With Adriene på youtube, og min mand og jeg er ved at lave hendes 30-day challenge sammen. Vi er på dag 18 nu, og er begge blevet rigtig glade for yoga. Det giver virkelig noget mentalt overskud og man får nogle værktøjer indarbejdet, som gør at man kan forholde sig roligere i mange situationer, hvilket især er nyttigt lige nu.

DIY projects

Maybe you’ve got a pair of pants laying around that need to be hemmed, a button you need to replace or something else? No matter what, repairing your clothes is a very sustainable choice to make in itself (instead of buying new), but it’s one of those things you sometimes might not prioritise in a busy everyday life. Spend a few hours to go through the pile of clothes that need to be repaired, or start a lovely similar DIY project.

Måske har du et par bukserne liggende som skal sys op, en knap der skal udskiftes eller noget helt tredje? Uanset hvad, så er reparation af tøj et bæredygtigt valg at tage i sig selv (i stedet for at købe nyt), men det er måske også én af de der ting man ofte nedprioriterer i en travl hverdag. Brug et par timer en formiddag på, at komme til bunds i reparationsbunken, eller start på et hyggeligt DIY projekt.

Facetime & text your loved ones

Last but not least, I would like to highlight the importance of social distancing. Call or text your loved ones instead of meeting up with them. There are luckily so many other ways we can connect, and we need to stick it out. Again, the more effectively we all follow the local authorities and guidelines, the quicker we can get back to normal again. And then you can always celebrate it with a social gathering some other time. I’ve got my 30th birthday coming up by the end of May, and even though it’s still a bit unsure what the future brings and how long the lockdown will last; I’m looking forward to hopefully being reunited with my family then. Until then I’m going to enjoy the planning process, making invites, planning the food and so on. A little something to look forward to, hopefully. <3

Sidst men ikke mindst, så vil jeg igen gerne fremhæve vigtigheden i det her med, at vi skal være sammen hver for sig. Ring og skriv til dine nærmeste i stedet for, at mødes. Der er mange måder man kan connecte med hinanden på, og det er med at hænge i lige nu. Igen, jo mere effektivt vi allesammen følger de her retningslinjer, jo hurtigere kan vi komme tilbage til normalen igen. Og så kan man jo fejre det med en hyggelig komsammen til dén tid. Jeg fylder selv 30 år sidst i maj måned, og selvom det jo endnu er uvist hvad fremtiden bringer og hvor længe karantænen varer ved; så glæder jeg mig til forhåbentligt, at blive genforenet med venner og familie til dén tid. Indtil da har jeg hygget mig med at udarbejde fine invitationer, og vil også bruge lidt tid på at planlægge mad osv. til selve dagen. Lidt at se frem til, forhåbentligt. <3

2 Comments

  1. susan

    Thanks for this nice words and good ideas! We already did most of it but really thought about purchasing a puzzle (haven’t done this for ages….). Our grandparents had been called for war, we are just asked to sit on a couch….we can do this!!! Stay safe and healthy and you also help us with some nice blog posts or videos!

    Take care

    Reply
  2. Heidi

    Hi Signe, I am really appreciating all your content at the moment. Here in NZ we are coming into the winter season and things are getting quite serious with COVID19 too. I have been easing my worry with your You Tube videos (which I love and am getting so much value from). I relate so much to all your content because I am vegan, a minimalist and actually I am half Dutch with very similar colouring and body shape to you so your capsule wardrobes have been immensely useful for me to sort out my wardrobe. Thank you for your positive contribution to a crazy world right now. Warm regards, Heidi

    Reply

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