Blue Monday is often described as the most difficult day of the year. A label that suggests we should explain, fix or push through how we feel to get back to a place of comfort. But instead of asking why this time of year can feel heavy, we wanted to ask something simpler.
What does true comfort actually look like?
When we put that question to our community, the answers weren’t dramatic or elaborate. They were quiet. Familiar. And deeply human. What followed was a collection of moments, small rituals that soften the day and bring us back to ourselves.
Comfort is something you can feel
Again and again, comfort showed up as warmth.
Hot baths filled with bubbles, salts or aromatherapy oils. Candlelight flickering in the background. Heated blankets, hot water bottles, fires lit against the cold. Clean sheets waiting at the end of the day.
“Sliding into freshly washed sheets at the end of the day. Elite comfort.”
“A long hot bubble bath.”
“Getting into bed with the heated blanket on.”
These moments don’t ask anything of us. They simply hold us. When the world feels loud, comfort often begins in the body — in warmth, softness and stillness.
Comfort is taking something off
One of the most repeated ideas was release.
Taking off “outside clothes”. Changing out of uniforms and into pyjamas. Swapping heels for slippers. Letting go of structure, expectation and restriction.
“Nothing beats taking off the bra and slumping onto the sofa after a day at work.”
“The relief of taking off ‘outside clothes’ and putting on my cosy dressing gown.”
“Exchanging my uniform for PJs and heels for slippers.”
For many of us, comfort begins the moment we stop performing, when we allow ourselves to exist without needing to be anything for anyone else.
Comfort is giving your mind somewhere to rest
Comfort isn’t always about doing nothing. Sometimes it’s about doing one thing, slowly.
Reading in bed. Knitting by the fire. Stretching after a long day. Gentle yoga, meditation or calming music. Activities that quiet the noise and bring focus back to the present moment.
“Anything that stops my brain running at 100mph.”
“Curling up with a good book.”
“A long deep stretch in bed.”
These moments offer our minds somewhere soft to land.
Comfort is connection and sometimes solitude
For some, true comfort is found in closeness.
Snuggling children at bedtime. Dogs climbing onto the bed. Cats purring on chests. Partners curled up together on the sofa watching a familiar film.
“Snuggling with my little boy whilst I read him his bedtime story.”
“On the sofa with my cats on my chest, purring.”
“Cuddling my partner.”
For others, comfort looks like quiet. An hour of nothingness. A bath with the door closed. Peace once the house is asleep.
“Just me and the water.”
“True comfort is those moments when I feel I have time.”
Both are valid. Both are necessary.
What all these moments have in common
What stood out most wasn’t how different these moments were — but how similar.
True comfort isn’t extravagant. It isn’t about fixing how we feel or turning a day around. It doesn’t demand productivity or positivity. It’s about removing friction. Softening the edges. Letting yourself pause.
At Nudea, we believe comfort should be a baseline - not a luxury, not a reward and not something you have to earn. Especially on days that feel heavier than usual, we hope you give yourself one small moment of it.
Whatever that looks like for you.
