Thomas Høegh Reisenhus Danish lifestyle expert at TEMPUR® shares the secrets of Danish wellbeing.
Denmark is consistently ranked one of the world’s happiest and most liveable countries, despite having particularly cold, dark winters. For its residents, life in Denmark is anything but dull and dreary.
Thomas Høegh Reisenhus, Danish lifestyle expert at TEMPUR® dives into the brand’s heritage to share his guide to the secrets of Danish happiness…
Thomas says: “The Danish approach to wellbeing is far simpler than many realise – in essence it’s a mindful focus on everyday pleasures.
“Instead of allowing life’s daily stresses to overwhelm you, it’s important to ensure you make time to look after yourself and enjoy life whether that’s how you decorate your home, what time you leave work for the day, spending time in the great outdoors, or embracing hygge.
“There is much to be learnt from the Danish way of life and making changes in a few key areas will leave you feeling happier, healthier and more productive.”
Read on for Thomas’ guide to living well, the Danish way…
Create a home sanctuary
Danish interiors aren’t necessarily what you’d expect from a Scandi home – whilst natural lighting and open spaces are commonplace, you might be surprised by the mix of old and new, neutral and colourful, classic and quirky.
Danish homes are about combining functionality with personality, so traditionally Scandi interior features are enhanced with a statement piece of art, a retro lamp, a colourful sofa, right down to keepsakes from travels or kid’s arts and crafts.
The key thing is to ensure your interiors reflect your personality and no-one else’s to enhance your sense of connection and comfort in the home.
Strong work-life balance
Despite officially having longer working weeks – 37 hours for Danes (1) vs 36 for Brits (2) – if you stop by a Danish office after 5pm, you may be surprised to find it all but empty. Working overtime is discouraged in Denmark and as a result, most employees leave around 4pm to pick their kids up from school or to start preparing dinner or simply because they’ve completed their work for the day.
That’s not to say that their productivity suffers as a result. In fact, Denmark is one of the most productive countries in the EU. How can this be? Perhaps because research has found that workers are 13% more productive when happy (3), with their strong work-life balance no doubt supporting this feeling of fulfilment.
So instead of staying late at the office, try to clock off on time and enjoy some quality time with loved ones cooking a delicious meal, with friends at an exercise class or theatre show, or simply head home to snuggle on the sofa with the kids or pets after a hard day’s work.
Head outdoors for some endorphins
Danes are known for their love of cycling. In fact, bicycle lanes can be found in most major cities, with additional bicycle routes across the country.
And this love of spending time outdoors extends far beyond transportation. No matter the weather, Danes love spending as much time outdoors as possible.
Walking or jogging is a great way to ensure you get outside in daylight hours and enjoy a double whammy of health benefits – Vitamin D as well as exercise induced endorphins.
For the more adventurous, winter is the perfect time to take up wild swimming. Not only will you enjoy a healthy hit of endorphins, but you will enjoy all the benefits of immersion in cold water which is known to boost your immune system, improve circulation, and reduce stress (4).
Remember the saying, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”.
Embrace ‘hygge’
Whilst there is no English equivalent for the Danish term, Hygge, it essentially means cosy, calm, relaxed.
If you’ve ever enjoyed a warming cup of tea at home on a wet and wild day, you’ve unknowingly experienced the pleasure of hygge.
Hygge is a gentle state of being that promotes self-care, whether that be curling up on the sofa with a good book, enjoying a candle-lit bath, or simply spending time with loved ones.
Hygge isn’t only for inside the home; wrapping up warm in a soft scarf, cosy jumper and winter coat before heading out for a winter walk with loved ones will also provide the cosy Hygge feelgood factor.
For more information on TEMPUR®, visit www.tempur.co.uk
-Ends-
Notes to editors:
- (1) https://denmark.dk/society-and-business/work-life-balance
- (2) https://www.statista.com/statistics/280763/average-working-hours-uk/
- (3) https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-10-24-happy-workers-are-13-more-productive
- (4) https://www.iprshealth.com/news/8-benefits-of-cold-water-swimming/
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TEMPUR® researches, develops, manufactures and distributes mattresses, pillows and other sleep products to improve the sleep experience worldwide.
TEMPUR® mattresses and pillows are made from a formulation of the brand’s proprietary pressure absorbing TEMPUR® Material. Born from NASA technology, TEMPUR® Material was developed in the 1960s to protect astronauts during space flight by absorbing G-force pressure.
TEMPUR® Material is the original pressure relieving mattress product and the precursor to all memory foams. Made up of viscoelastic – billions of ultra-sensitive open cells that exist between a solid and a liquid state – TEMPUR® products provide the ultimate comfort and support, helping you to sleep better, longer and deeper.
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