It’s a tough time for libraries, and people in customer service. And while we don’t want to veer into any toxic positivity, it is good to spend a little time focused on building your happiness level. We are not going to solve people’s serious mental issues here. But bringing some happiness skills to your week can be helpful to everyone!
Mondays can be a little hard, even when things are going fine. Use this small injection of a happiness skill to your week. We are here to support you, and to help you to be a little happier in the library.
We have talked about hygge before, and you have probably seen books and articles about it. ““Hygge is a mindset — an attitude and approach to living that prioritizes togetherness, affection, slow living, gratitude and contentment,” said Natalie Dattilo, a clinical health psychologist at Harvard Medical School.”
It’s pretty cold and dark outside a lot of the time right now; but hygge is always appropriate for you!
Check out a few tips from this article excerpt from Practicing hygge can help you beat the ‘winter blues’: Here’s how:
“One way to practice hygge is through social connection.
“Social connectedness and gratitude are probably the most important factors that have been proven to be correlated with happiness,” said clinical psychologist Pauline Wallin.
Sharing and enjoying meals together can increase social bonding, feelings of well-being and contentment.
“Eating, drinking and taking in comforting aromas can evoke memories of family and friends at various times of one’s life,” said Wallin. “Smell is strongly connected with memory and emotion. So is music.”
Good smells and music also help create a cozy ambiance, another important component of hygge. Opt for nostalgic scents when possible.
The right lighting in a room can also improve the ambience. People tend to perceive warmer lights as more relaxing, research shows.
“Using candles or a fireplace has advantages in that the visual of the flames themselves are naturally relaxing,” said Augustin. If that’s not an option, swapping bright fluorescents for warm lightbulbs in lamps can work too.
For one last element of comfort, consider texture.
“Soft textures make sense because they are relaxing for us to feel,” said Augustin. Think cozy pajamas, soft blankets, or fuzzy socks.”
You can read the whole article here!
CMLE can be part of your support network; we are here for you, and support you in your library work. Take a nice deep breath in, and whoosh it out; it’s going to be okay today.