Do you experience awe?
Hello ….how are you today?
This week we are going to talk about how to honor our life by preserving our capacity to feel awestruck.
I really like watching children because for them life is beautiful. A child sees a little bird or a butterfly and they feel ecstatic. They go to the park, see a high slide, and they get most excited. I don't know what happens to us, the older ones, because as we grow older, we lose the fascination for the little things that surround us.
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“Our life is a gift.”
I’m taking deep breath as I’m writing this to assimilate those words well. The sea, the mountains, the vast blue sky, the starry nights, the woody forests, all of them are offerings and we have the right to enjoy them just because we’re alive. That realization moves me to the bone.
At home, we are all sensitive, my son and I are sensitive to a higher degree than my husband and my daughter, but we all feel elevated by the music we like, a beautiful landscape, a theater play, a good story, an exquisite dance, and a good movie. Feeling marveled at life is part of a mindset, the awe mindset. This is a mix of feeling amazed and dazzled by the stimuli that touch our soul. I always insist on the fact that we are like Teflon for the good things and like Velcro for the most challenging or “not so good” ones. We have to learn not to take daily miracles for granted. Think about this, the mere fact that we’re human beings gives us the chance to feel blessed by nature, the arts, the animals that make us happy, and the smile of our beloved ones, among many other things.
Gratitude: a practical exersise
The skill to see life as if it were the first time allows us to raise the feel-good hormones, it helps us feel one with the universe, and it increases our ability to be grateful. I would like to emphasize that gratitude is not simply counting our blessings but feeling the joy that comes from knowing that life would not be the same without that that we’re grateful for. My neuroscience professor always told us that we have to exercise our minds to internalize good experiences. These experiences are going to help us to be more resilient and to anchor the good moments in our hearts. I suggest you start practicing by taking a few seconds (12 to me are ideal) to really watch what surrounds you. Breathe deeply and savor that time by checking with your 5 senses:
What do I feel on my skin right now?
What colors and shapes can I appreciate?
What can I hear?
What smells can I perceive?
What can I taste?
As you inhale and exhale ask yourself those questions, then close your eyes, recreate everything you have felt and when you open your eyes again, say "thank you". You will see how powerful this simple exercise is. In this way, you will be rewiring your brain to stimulate your awe mindset.
The science of awe
Many years ago, I had the chance to study the sciences related to overall wellbeing at the University of California, Berkeley. I met educators, therapists, coaches, psychologists, and scientists from around the world to delve into the topic of social and emotional intelligence. I still remember the day we were taught the effects of the then emerging science of "awe". We watched videos of breathtaking landscapes with uplifting music. I got goose bumps, it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck and I was moved to tears. I understood that if watching a video of those magical places with those incredible melodies made me feel so lucky to be alive, I had to start putting the awe mindset to the test day after day.
Among many other things, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have concluded that awe helps us to:
1. Improve our mood and be more satisfied with life:
The studies emphasize how important nature and art are to contribute to our overall well-being. The good news is that you don’t have to move. Watching a video will already help you enjoy its benefits.
2. Increase our health:
The more our endorphins, dopamine, and feel-good hormones increase, the clearer our thoughts become and the better our choices and habits are.
3. Think critically:
Studies have shown how experiencing awe helps sharpen our mind to distinguish weak arguments from solid ones.
4. Decrease materialism:
Awe makes us capable to transcend our present circumstances and to feel one with something that is much bigger than we are. Awe helps us put everything into perspective.
5. Increase our humility:
When one can appreciate how vast the universe is, how divine art and nature are, etc., one can see ones’ strengths and weaknesses with greater perspective.
6. Feeling like we have more time:
Our ability to marvel at the things that life has to offer us makes us less impatient, it connects us with the here and now, and it helps us to be more present and less anxious.
7. Feeling closer to others:
This mindset helps us feel that we’re a part of life’s canvas. It helps us realize how much we can help something much bigger than our reality and ourselves.
Awe on a daily basis
Don't let life go by without enjoying it. I know that it is not easy, I myself sometimes feel that I’m doing endless tasks on autopilot. Nevertheless, I try to have fewer and fewer of those days because they don't help me feel good, and they dysregulate me. Every time I go around Barcelona, I stop to appreciate the flowers, the architecture, the big avenues, people’s diversity and liveliness, and it really touches my soul. When I feel lazy, I push myself to go out for a walk with my dog and I stop to pay special attention to the treetops and the light that passes through their leaves. Some other days, I light up an incense or play soothing melodies that make me company during my daily chores. Try to recover your capacity to feel awestruck taking simple steps one day at a time. This will put every aspect of your life in its place and it will give you lots of peace and joy.
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A big hug ❤