Yay! The cozy season has arrived: fall! For me as a true fall fan, it is time to enjoy. But what exactly is cozy living and why do you want that this fall? My name is Esther Bennink and I would love to tell you more about it.
Self-care and gentleness
Cosy doesn’t just mean ‘cosy’, it encompasses more than that. Lighting candles, drinking your favourite tea and snuggling up under a blanket on the couch is just a small part of the cosy living experience. It’s all about being gentle with yourself. Self-care through cosiness. That cup of tea tastes much better when you consciously sit down for it and make it a special moment for yourself. As an illustrator, I try to capture this way of life in my work. And that’s not without reason.
From therapy to spreading cosiness
I was introduced to a paintbrush and box during art therapy. I was not doing well and needed help. My therapist thought that art therapy might be the gateway for me to learn to deal with my PTSD. 'Oh boy, she was right!'.
Soon I couldn't stop painting and one cozy, safe and warm mess after another appeared in my sketchbook. I didn't do anything with it, but it was my safe haven. Years later, when I had more 'ground under my feet' I slowly started to look outside. I shared my illustrations on instagram and suddenly it turned out that there was much more need for cosiness.
We're going too fast
Why the need for cosiness is so great keeps me busy. Over the years I see and hear a lot, people knock on my door with their personal story and tell me what my cozy illustrations do for them. What do they have in common? They go too fast. The world overwhelms them.
Not only do we go too fast, we are also hard on ourselves. We need a quiet, slow and safe place where we can sometimes come to ourselves in this hectic world. Often we also look for a reminder to slow down or even better: an approval. And cosiness helps!
My 5 tips for cozy living
No idea where to start? I have 5 cozy tips for you, nice and 'small and manageable' because we don't want to 'have to' do something again!
- Take a moment for yourself today. Make your favorite drink and instead of scrolling through your phone while drinking it, look outside, are the leaves changing color yet? Do you see signs of fall?
- Do you have a to do list for today? Then choose 1 thing that you 'have to' do and make it cozy! For example, I'm doing laundry today, but instead of quickly folding the laundry in bed, I'm doing it cozy at the kitchen table. Tea, candle and fold!
- Cosy up your home! Take a look around, is your home ready for fall? Maybe you want to add a reminder for more softness and cosiness in your life?
- Plan your life 'softly', don't just plan appointments and to do's, but also plan cosiness and self-care. To help you out: I have developed a cosy planner with Planner expert and psychologist Renske Zuurveen (you can win it!!)
- Live with the seasons. The seasons go at their own pace. Each season has its cozy moments. Take a walk and look around you, what do you see? There is nothing nicer than coming home, a nice cup of tea and enjoying it for another 5 minutes!
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