As the summer slowly fades into fall and the mornings are just a bit chillier (I even pulled on a cardigan sweater, grandma-style this morning!), there is one important change to your morning routine you need to consider making:
Adding in some hurkle-durkle time.
The term ‘hurkle-durkle’ is an actual Scottish term, dating back to the 19th century, that describes lounging in bed long after waking.
As one expert put it, to hurkle-durkle means to “linger under the covers of a warm bed long after it’s time to get up.”
And I don’t know about you, but that describes my exact dilemma every single morning. It’s a trait that I seem to have passed down to my youngest daughter as well, as we both struggle to get out of bed every morning, so much, in fact, that I have no less than six different alarms set to keep us on task for school days.
If it were up to us, we would be hurkle-durkling all morning long.
The definition of hurkle-durkle, is all about self-care and relaxation.
Many people especially reserve hurkle-durkling for cooler-weather months, because that’s when it’s harder to get moving in the mornings, and you just want a little extra warm-up time.
While one could argue that to hurkle-durkle is to be a lazy person in the morning, if you ask TikTok, it’s the ideal way to start your morning, especially in the fall and winter months. The term ‘hurkling+durkling’ is all over the app, with people showing off the cozy ways they start their day.
TikTok is full of influencers showing off their hurkle-durkle routines in the morning.
The original term for hurkle-durkling might refer to lounging under the covers, but the TikTok trend has evolved to add in a whole host of cozy activities to enjoy before officially starting your day.
For instance, influencers show enjoying a cup of coffee in bed, listening to music, reading, journaling, snuggling with pets, and even watching TV.
Some commenters compared the hurkle-durkle to another trending concept of “bed rotting,” in which someone basically spends an entire day, afternoon, or evening in bed, watching TV and eating snacks as a way to recharge or decompress.
I have learned to embrace the hurkle-durkle in my own mornings.
I’m on board with either trend, honestly, but I will confess that learning that there is an “official” word for how I naturally like to spend my mornings really has helped me feel better. In a world where it feels like so many people’s morning routines on social media include waking up at 3 AM to work out, meal prep, and do a full glam face full of makeup and hair, it’s easy to feel bad about my “morning routine” that usually includes lounging, scrolling, and sipping coffee until the last possible minute.
But learning about hurkle-durkle has empowered me to embrace the beauty of a slow morning. I’ve adjusted my times and my alarms to allow both my daughter and I purposeful hurkle-durkle time in the morning, because we both love it, and you know what?
Life is short, so bring on the hurkle-durkle if it makes you happy.
