Given that I've not had a smartphone to use in the moment when curiosity hits, it's taken me until now to find out just how 'hygge' is pronounced: apparently it's hyoo-guh. Not that I needed to know that to recognise I've been able to see eye-to-eye with lots of these Danish principles of living well and achieving happiness.
The bit that caught my eye, and tallies well with my attempts to live a #SmartphoneFree life was the following:
"Hygge is charged with a strong orientation and commitment towards experiencing and savouring the present moment... on that camping trip there was nowhere else we needed to be. We were offline. No phone. No email. We were surrounded by simplicity, by nature and good company, and able to fully relax and take in the moment."
I wonder how much less we do just savour the moment when we constantly have access to things which seems to be so much more inviting on our phones?
These days I'd consider myself an ambivert (part-extrovert, part-introvert) but there was a time when I'd have considered myself an out-and-out extrovert, and all my friends would have too. Those were the days before smartphones - I can't help but wonder how much smartphone use has contributed to my desire to be on my own more. I'll never really know - perhaps my more introverted tendencies are just as a natural result of maturing.
Either way, though, the last few weeks without a smartphone have certainly enabled me to be more 'present' in social situations.
It doesn't need to be a camping trip that drags you away from your wifi connection - going #SmartphoneFree could have the same effect. Then you can notice and enjoy life's simplicities and relax a little bit more.
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