Slow living… making sure I move at a human pace… is something I really do try to do. It’s so countercultural, though, it can feel strange to say ‘No, I won’t do that, because I have other stuff on and I don’t want to be overloaded.’

I do have so much stuff on at the moment. I work nearly full time, have an elderly father, a husband, three children and then, like a fool, I am training to be a Reader at Church. That’s essentially stepping up into a leadership role, preparing and leading services, preaching sermons, being active in church and playing a real role in spreading the love of God across the world… holy hygge at its best.

I stepped back a lot from social media at Easter. I can’t say I miss it much at all. I enjoy the occasional visit to the Hygge Nook and a slide through Insta… I’ve enjoyed the discipline of Joyful June, and X is often faster than the News at getting important world events (as well as unimportant world angst) to me, so I pop in there. I like Substack, but I use it like a magazine, scrolling through to find posts and articles I like the look of and which I read. I wonder whether I shouldn’t write/share over there as well… but writing or sharing anything has become a rare treat these days.

And summer is here. I want a slow summer again. I like taking time away, enjoying life in real time, analogue living, experiencing firsthand the scent of rose-filled gardens, the spray of sea on a seawall walk and the sound of living done not for profit or purpose but just because.

So, I’m slowing down summer again. From now until September, I am a summer hedonist. I’m stripping what could be done work wise down to what must be done and bumping up the small, slow pleasures of life. And I’m saying No to whatever I can. That mad idea that I must read *this* book, or watch *that* movie? No. I’m enjoying working my way through some sweet new reads and past some old favourites. Invitations can pile up. I’m going to say yes if I feel like it, and if I want to go elsewhere I will do. Hard planning? That can wait until September. For now, as far as possible, I am making like a length of fine silk cloth and letting myself waft in the breeze.

There isn’t a must-do list, just a might-do.

• Read books for pleasure (until September, when I’ll read my course books again and, of course, subject to the proviso that my course books may well be books I read for pleasure anyway).
• Leave the phone on silent.
• Enjoy an ice cream absolutely, silently, with patience and pleasure.
• Visit green places: hills, forests, gardens and grassy meadows for no other reason than to rest my eyes.
• Visit the sea at least once before the summer’s lease has expired. Probably Crosby Beach, because it is closest, although I do want to visit Wales so that might work, too.
• Find quiet, empty, cool churches to visit and sit in when I need a break.
• Cook less, but when I do do it, cook for pleasure as much as for powering me up. That means more herbs, spice or flavourings and less bulk carbs or fatty cooking methods. I may even try some salads rather than hot stovetop recipes.
• Let the routine go hang. The regular weekly pattern needs a rest, and I’ll pick it up come September. August, especially, should be my month with nothing written in.
• Loosen any obsession with productivity. The house gets clean, if I feel like it; the work gets done, but perhaps not all at once but eventually; the garden is a place of rest, not effort (we have a robot mower now, so that is an actual possibility!) and even my handbag doesn’t need a daily clean out, just a little polish now and again.

Slow enough? Too slow? I don’t know. I’ll tell you come September.

I hope that part of my slow living will be popping in and sharing random thoughts and ideas (books, especially: I have a few of those to review) but just in case, I’ll not promise. Broken promises are not part of my slow living summer. Let’s leave it vague.

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 my non-Christmas books 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.

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 Winter 2026.

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 of the wisteria at my Dad’s house. It was looking particularly beautiful this year.