I’ve been participating in an online course offered by Yale University called The Science of Well-Being. Some of you may already be familiar with it. If not, I encourage you to check it out… it’s not only worthwhile but also FREE!
My motivation for taking this course was to learn about the most recent research regarding wellness. I love that there are so many evidenced-based studies in various areas of science and psychology that are validating the teachings of ancient wisdoms.
Two of the concepts discussed in the course are not only central to my own daily practice, but also key techniques that I teach all my wellness coaching clients. These are savoring and gratitude. There has been separate research done on both of these things — the act of savoring and the experience of gratitude. These studies show that both improve the quality of our minds and thus overall health.
Savoring
Savoring is about lingering in an experience so that we can intensify and/or lengthen its effect. From an energetic standpoint, the more we stay connected to an emotion or feeling (which is simply a form of energy), the more we are able to align our own vibration with that emotion or feeling. So if we regularly practice savoring positive feelings like appreciation, compassion, hopefulness, and faith, then we we energetically “tune” ourselves to the frequency of those feelings. Additionally, we actually create wiring in the brain to “lean toward” those experiences even in the midst of challenge.
According to the ‘Science of Well-Being’ course, some ways to practice savoring include “sharing the experience with another person, thinking about how lucky you are to enjoy such an amazing moment, keeping a souvenir or photo of that activity, making sure you stay in the present moment the entire time.”
Since many people are visually oriented, when I teach this concept, I invite individuals to not only feel the positive emotion(s) or the experience they want to savor, but to also create imagery around them. This can be a helpful technique to maintain connection to the feeling by simply visualizing the associated imagery.
Gratitude
And when it comes to choosing a particular emotion to savor, gratitude is one of the easiest and most powerful! Psychologists define gratitude as a positive emotional state where one appreciates what he/she has received in life. It recognizes value independent of monetary worth and is an affirmation of goodness and warmth.
It’s human nature to feel grateful. Most of us are raised to be thankful when we’re given things and to appreciate the goodness in our lives. But as we all have probably experienced, the distractions and ‘heaviness’ of life can often disconnect us from this innate inclination toward gratitude.
A common exercise to promote a grateful mindset is maintaining a gratitude journal where we note down things that we appreciate every day. Each time we choose to remember and relive a grateful experience, we reconnect to the feeling (and thus the vibration) of gratitude. Most certainly, it takes continued practice to turn occasional acknowledgement of life’s goodness into a deeper sustained mindset. When we learn to embrace gratitude as an attitude toward life, we become grateful for ALL of life. In doing so, we increase our health and happiness. This is indeed what all spiritual teachings offer us and what science is confirming.
Resources and Practice
If you’re like me and enjoy ‘geeking out’ on the studies and want to learn a bit more from the scientific perspective, here are some resources:
- The Neuroscience of Savoring Positive Emotions, Psychology Today article
- How Savoring Can Boost Your Mental Health…, YouTube Video, psychologist Lea Waters
- Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier, Harvard Health article
- The Power of Gratitude, YouTube Video, psychologist Robert Emmons
And if you want to share in a practice with me, check out the 'Raise the Vibe: Savoring Gratitude' guided meditation on my YouTube Channel Empowered Wellness with Sheetal.
Since savoring is known to bolster our mindset and gratitude has been proven to improve our health, then why not do them together! Whenever we feel appreciative or grateful… let’s pause, take a breath, and SAVOR all the feelings associated with that GRATITUDE.