November -Savoring
November is the gateway to winter and the holidays. The Holidays bring up mixed emotions for most of us and can be a time of stress, grief, and pressure. We often think of Thanksgiving as a time to give thanks, a time to bring more awareness to things you are grateful for. Another helpful focus for this season can be the aspect of savoring. Most of us are aware of the term as it relates to food and a Holiday meal can be a perfect backdrop to use this practice in a broader perspective.
This fall I had the opportunity to put this focus into practice with the beautiful temperatures and the vibrancy of the fall leaves. I found myself awe struck with the multitude of colors that seemed to pop against the backdrop of the sky. I took notice of this and paused throughout the day savoring the beauty, knowing that it was fleeting and would end too soon.
Savoring is a term widely used when describing a tangible item like food but recently has been used in psychology to amplify positive aspects of life. In our fast-paced world we are overwhelmed with stories of negative events and adversity. Intentionally placing our attention on positive events and prolonging the positive feelings that arise can buffer against negative health outcomes and enable wellbeing.
The key to the beneficial aspects of savoring is to increase observation of our internal process of personal experience - how the item, event, or process affects us in the moment. Focusing on sensations, emotions, perceptions, thoughts, and behaviors. Savoring takes a mindful approach using meta-awareness but is different from mindfulness as the focus is on positive attribution of internal and external stimuli. Studies have found that savoring can decrease levels of depression and anxiety, increase self-esteem, and promote positive relationships, creativity, and social connection (Smith & Bryant, 2017). Savoring has been used to counterbalance unpleasant emotions associated with pain and addiction (Garland, Howard, Zubieta & Froelinger, 2017). Savoring is interrelated with gratitude and resilience, key components of contentment, happiness, and life satisfaction.
Savoring allows us to connect more fully with our experience which can lead to a more meaningful life. What can you savor this season?
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things"
Robert Brault
