Image source: Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels
Given that I’ve been writing a lot about anxiety and stress lately, I’ve given a lot of thought to the concept of “cozy.” I mean, it’s only natural to start to think about all things cozy as the days get shorter, the air gets cool and dry, and the leaves start to slowly burn auburn and golden on the trees.
Anything that can be commoditized and sold back to us is repackaged for ultimate consumption, so I’m not surprised at the aggressive marketing of fall as a cozy bonanza. There’s a desert of festive holidays between July 4th and Halloween here in the US, but have no fear, you can start cozying up to Halloween a whole month in advance as Starbucks unleashes its PSLs, pumpkin spice lattes, in September. These warming, delicious drinks, (yes, I’m in the delicious camp) filled with warm milk and three pumps of “pumpkin” syrup, wrap you up in a swirl of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. So very cozy.
Maybe it’s because I ordered my PSL on an app and TikTok’s all-knowing algorithm picked up on my need for all things cozy, but I have been seeing a flood of “cozy” content on my for-you-page. And I do mean all things cozy.
Cozy cardio. Yeah, I know, that’s what I immediately think of when I think of something cozy, right? Well, maybe not really, but I actually like this idea a lot, and I’ve probably already been engaging in this trend without even thinking about it. This idea is basically all about low-impact cardio exercise that you actually enjoy. For me, that’s taking long walks in my neighborhood and through a local wooded park. As I walk, I’m not going for the burn. I’m more focused on the gorgeous flowers and gardens in the neighborhood. For one TikToker, cozy cardio involves a walking pad in her apartment where she lights candles, dims the overhead lights, and watches soothing television as she walks. There are some strident naysayers to this trend, but those angry folks are tapping into a streak of misogyny that wraps itself around a lot of critiques of cozy things, in my opinion.
Cozy gaming. I wrote about this recently, when I talked about my addiction to farming simulators. But this is gaming with low stakes. You’re not going to encounter pulse-pounding fights and screaming gunfire and car crashes. Instead, you’ll plant crops, solve puzzles, enter relationships, and explore new lands.
Cozy horror. Yes, you read that right, cozy horror. Again, I think the idea here is the stakes. These stories aren’t here to gross you out with body horror or jump scares (although, jump scares might make a brief appearance here and there). These seem to be more about atmosphere and all things dark and gothic. There seem to be various flavors of this cozy “horror,” including whimsical like Tim Burton movies or a throwback to gothic Victorian horror that calls to mind an atmosphere of dread and foreboding, and not mind-bending stress and anxiety.
Cozy mystery. For me, the show “Midsomer Murders” comes to mind immediately when I think of cozy mysteries. Every show has a ghastly murder, of course, but they are always set in the bucolic English countryside, with stone cottages dripping in roses and surrounded by bluebells. The imperturbable detectives calmly and methodically work their way through the many suspects and always catch their man/woman.
But where does all of our desire for cozy things come from, and do we all have the same desire for it? Maybe it’s deeply rooted in the Norwegian concept of hygge, a specific concept of comfort and safety. Something warm and softly lit to ward off the darkness. That concept definitely hits close to the mark for me. When I wrap myself in a warm and fluffy blanket, play some soothing spa music, and play my way through a cozy videogame, I’ve inoculated myself from the wild storms of anxiety and stress that batter the walls just outside my cozy cocoon.
How about you? What “cozy” activities do you engage in? Let me know in the comments!