The Elements of a Cozy Hobby

What makes a hobby cozy? Hygge. Healing. Connection. A little defiance too.

What qualifies as a cozy hobby? This is a familiar discussion regarding anything in the realm of “cozy”. What makes a cozy book cozy? Is it the lack of high stakes or the atmospheric aesthetic of the book? What qualifies as a cozy game? Many often think of Stardew Valley as the essential cozy game but ask anyone who has made their way deep into the mines of Pelican Town and they might disagree. When we ask what qualifies as cozy what is clear is that the answer is different for everyone. As individuals, we all have different tastes. I might find gardening to be a cozy hobby but someone else might think that a cozy hobby shouldn’t include any physical activity. The truth is neither is right or wrong but if we take a closer look at cozy hobbies, we will always find similar elements.

Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word that you might be familiar with. In short, it means finding peace and comfort during life’s quieter moments. To me, that is the main ingredient of a cozy hobby. Is the activity making you feel warm and safe? Do you feel comforted and at ease? Then congratulations, you’ve just discovered your next cozy obsession. That sense of warmth can appear while sitting down to color with an ambience video playing on the television or while making a batch of your favorite brown butter chocolate chip cookies. What brings you that sense of hygge, don’t let it go, it’s important now more than ever but I’ll get to that later.

The magical element of cozy hobbies is their ability to heal us. Stay connected or reconnect with your inner child. Remerge from the heavy waves of depression and trauma. Rediscover yourself after childbirth (that will be a whole other post later on). Taking up a hobby for no one else but yourself and finding joy in it does more than you can imagine for your well-being. Picking up a cozy hobby isn’t a magic fix-all button but I’ve found it to be an important step to being kinder to yourself. I get lost in an embroidery piece and I feel myself begin to uncoil which leads to another element of coziness.

If you’re like me, you can’t escape the feeling that the world seems darker than ever and what the future holds for us is completely unknown but it’s not looking great. You watch the news and want to scream into the abyss because you feel so helpless. It makes your chest tighten and anxiety rise to unhealthy levels. Easing that feeling is another critical element when discussing cozy hobbies. Is the activity helping reduce your stress and anxiety levels? Breathing should seem easier while in a state of coziness. The weight should be lifted even if only momentarily. The feeling won’t last forever and it doesn’t mean you're sticking your head in the sand but it will help you carry on which is a success to never take for granted. It is the refilling of your cup.

The last element I would like to talk about might be the most important and that is connection. Most of the time, a cozy activity is done in isolation. You read a book in your cozy nook or sit alone with a cup of tea and a lit candle as you paint, maybe comforting music plays in the background while you work on a quilt. That’s a large part of what makes it cozy, the peaceful alone time that we all need on occasion. But what do you do after you finish the book, or painting, or quilt? Most often, we find the desire to share it with others. Post a review or even just a picture of the book you read. Share your completed artwork on social media after hours of hard work. Gift the quilt you made to a friend. Cozy hobbies allow us to build connections within our community and even with people across the globe. Those connections help build a bridge to better understanding and compassion which feels like a small act of defiance right now. Engaging with art, craft, and literature is how we will get through the coming years. I encourage you to connect with others who share the same hobbies as you or follow someone who creates content about a hobby that you’re interested in learning more about. As an introvert, I know it’s easier said than done but a strong community can go a long way and is hard to tear down.

In future posts, I’ll be highlighting several cozy hobbies that help give that sense of peace and comfort. I might discuss your favorite hobby and help you learn about a new one. My goal with Cozy Renaissance is to help highlight the importance of coziness and build a community around it. Until then, remember to take care of yourself.