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The more time we are all spending in lockdown, I’m sure you will agree, the more value we are starting to place on a positive atmosphere at home. When you cannot escape the four walls you have chosen to call home, it is more important to ensure that space is relaxing and comfortable. Naturally, this feeling of comfort starts with the attitudes of the household we are surrounded by, but many people do not place enough emphasis on their physical surroundings as well.

Having a clean, orderly space to live and work in makes a huge difference to your mental wellbeing. Factoring in some time on a regular basis, (even adding it into your diary if that makes you feel better), will drastically improve your mood and productivity. Most people who work on computers regularly know the importance of taking a break every now and then to rest your eyes, stretch and move about. That means you are allowed to get up and have a quick tidy! But I’m not here to get all Marie Kondo on you. Creating a clean, tidy space is actually also part of creating a hygge space at home.

To work efficiently, many people agree that they need their workspace to be in order, (even if to you, orderly means kind of chaotic looking, as long as you know where everything is. Spending half an hour looking for that bit of paper you just put down isn’t helping anyone.) Well, suddenly your workspace is also your home space, your relaxing space. How can you do both in the same setting? Having a distinct area for work and another to relax can be very beneficial mentally, giving you the opportunity to literally step away and let go. But this is not always possible, especially in the UK where our homes are smaller than in the states for example (generalising wildly here) and most of us do not have dedicated home offices- or if we do, suddenly the whole family wants to use it.

Even if you find yourself doing most of your work from a laptop in the lounge, or even sat on your bed- in the room you used to use just for relaxing- there are some actions you can take to create a more hygge space. By doing something as simple as adding a snuggly blanket and a cup of something warm and delicious, for instance, you can massively improve your overall comfort levels. No, it doesn’t look all that professional, but can anyone tell? Just keep your super soft blanket across your knees during Zoom meetings and you’re laughing.

It might sound like a little thing, but our bodies and minds are intrinsically connected and when one relaxes, it helps the other to relax as well. I was able to flip this connection and help my body to relax by finding peace mentally during labour last year. It is a common ailment to have stiff shoulders and back, headaches, a clenched jaw, or even an upset stomach, as a result of stress from work. Our mental agitation often manifests itself physically and loads of money is wasted on physiotherapy when a less stressful job would have removed the source of discomfort. Whilst your surroundings cannot diminish the annoyance of Toby in HR ruining your day again, taking a moment to focus on relaxing your muscles will improve your overall wellbeing and therefore mood as well. Recently lots of people have been discovering this, by practising yoga at home!

Other actions you can take include lighting candles (even odourless ones if the scented ones give you a headache), improving the lighting by adding some lamps rather than the one bright overhead LED, get some comfy cushions around you, and maybe a low maintenance, air cleaning plant like a Peace Lily. One of the main benefits of working from home is that we can control our surroundings far more than in the office, so go for it. This sense of control is also beneficial, coming at a time when many of us feel overwhelmed and powerless.

Having tasty, easy to make, treats around can also bolster your mood. Yes you have to deal with your boss and his general incompetence, but at least you are doing so from a distance and have tasty fudge! You could get some from the shop but homemade treats are so much better, for the same reason as homemade items around the house make you smile. Knowing that a little effort has gone into an item makes it more meaningful, and makes it more hygge.

Easy Peasy Fudge

Ingredients:

• Chocolate bars (about 200-250g is good so I use one branded one like a Dairy Milk Oreo bar, and one of the supermarket’s own cheap milk chocolate)
• 200ml condensed milk (not to be confused with evaporated milk)

1. Break your chocolate up into a microwave safe mixing bowl
2. Pour in the condensed milk
3. Microwave the contents of the bowl until the chocolate has melted (time will vary depending on your microwave so you can always do short zaps until you are satisfied)
4. Stir the melty mixture together until smooth (at this point you might want to add some sultanas or something, totally optional)
5. Pour it into a loaf tin lined with baking paper (greaseproof parchment, whatever, same thing)
6. Let it set in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours if you forgot to make it the night before

Sometimes, usually when I cannot be bothered to measure the condensed milk out, the ratios are slightly off and it’s quite sticky when I’m cutting it up. If this is the case, just roll the pieces in a little icing sugar so they don’t stick together. Yum!