What is savoring?
Well, it's just the simple act of stepping out of your experience,
to review it, and really appreciate it while it's happening.
Why should we take time to savor?
Well, it turns out savoring can boost our mood in at least three ways.
First, savoring can thwart hedonic adaptation.
It can make us remember the good stuff in life.
Second, savoring can help thwart mind wandering.
It keeps us in the moment.
And finally, savoring can help us increase gratitude.
It can make us thankful for the experiences we're having as we're having them.
How do we make the most of the savoring activity?
Well, first off, you just have to take part in a positive experience,
and then you have to savor during that experience.
Take a second to realize why it makes you happy.
You can use your phone to help you by taking
a picture which will help you remember it later.
Then track what you savored today.
As we've seen, tracking can help turn savoring in one moment into a habit.
So get out there and savor something good.
Go out and really enjoy the best things in life.
Savoring is the act of stepping outside of an experience to review and appreciate it. Savoring intensifies and lengthens the positive emotions that come with doing something you love. This week, practice the art of savoring by picking one experience to truly savor each day. It could be a nice shower, a delicious meal, a great walk outside, or any experience that you really enjoy. When you take part in this savored experience, be sure to practice some common techniques that enhance savoring. These techniques 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, and making sure you stay in the present moment the entire time.
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS:
Use the circles below to track your progress. Each circle represents a day of the week and you can label the date using the lines above each circle. Mark the circle on days you completed the rewirement – shade in the circle, write a check mark, draw a smiley face, initial, or whatever you want. Get creative! Ultimately, you will know what types of visual cues are best for you.
Credit: Yale University, The Science of Well-Being