Last year I went social free for the bulk of summer from Midsummer to Mid August.

It was bliss.

I read, I drew, I sipped tea, beer, champagne or just fizzy water and I lived life as it is meant to be, not as it so often is.

I’m going to do the same again this year. Midsummer is Friday, and from midnight I will delete Facebook, Instagram, X and any other social media app except for Pinterest from my phone. I’ll create another Life For Real photo album and store my pictures there until I get back which, based on last year, should be around mid to end August.

I’ve got a pile of books to read, and losing the noisy apps should make that easier. I’ve also got a newly-cleared garden, thanks to Paul the Gardener, so I want to get out and enjoy it. I have some magazines saved up, some weeks away planned, some trips to sporting events and some family gatherings. Enough to keep me busy.

I’m also slowing down my Sabbaths in line with the advice from Practicing The Way. I read John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry a couple of years ago and it made an impact on me. I’m hoping to be accepted on a Lay Readers Course this September, and getting my spiritual disciplines in order before then seems like a good idea. There is a free PDF available, which has some specifically Christian ideas but also has ideas that would be good for anyone whatever faith they are/are not. Taking a day off to spend with family and friends, spending time in gratitude rather than grasping and letting the peace of a well-examined life move in is good for us all.

I’ll be back here to post my summer reading list soon, and probably actually post more on the blog than anywhere else, but not often. I’ll have access to the Messenger functions of apps, but that’s about it. Hopefully, the sun will shine and the days will drag with glorious slowness and supreme spirit-building rest. We’ll see.

How about you? Are you looking to slow down for summer as well? How do you manage that in your life? And what are you planning to do with long sunny days this year?

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human. And it’s always the little things.

My Christmas books are always available: Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas is a good place to start, on how to make the season cosier, happier but Enjoying a Self-Care Christmas may be a faster and more seasonally appropriate read.

I’m currently working on two book projects: I have a hankering to rewrite 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way, so it’s not available at the moment, but even dearer to my heart and my next stated aim is to finish and publish my next book, Simple Plus Cosy = Hygge. It will be about homemaking and how the home we create shapes the hygge we have. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of summer 2025.

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well.

The photo between post and promotions is by Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash. I loved the sun, the yellow flowers and the hint of summer in the meadow.