“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” (William Butler Yeats)
In the past several years, a great deal of scientific and popular attention has been directed toward the experience of awe. For example, awe uniquely predicts indicators of the body’s inflammatory response, implicated in the onset and progression of various chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, and depression; enhances critical thinking; and may reduce post-traumatic symptoms.
1. Take awe excursions in nature.
Taking awe excursions in nature is one way to regularly experience awe. The purpose of these excursions is to personally connect with something vast.
Based on this, consider implementing the following suggestions:
Identify some ways you might personally connect with something vast in nature that stretches your perspective.
2. Go to repositories of awe
Throughout human history, individuals have collected, preserved, and presented opportunities for remembering and experiencing the awe-inspiring in a variety of locations. Some conservatories, libraries, zoos, historical sites, houses of worship, theaters, concert halls, arenas, and museums, for example, are repositories of awe in some way.
3. Record awe experiences.
A third recommendation for experiencing awe in everyday life is to record awe experiences in some meaningful way. Several intervention studies show benefits from writing detailed accounts of previous awe experiences.
4. Meditate on the awe-inspiring.
Individuals have used meditation – whether they call it that or not – to experience a richer inner life for thousands of years. One specific form of meditation in which you intentionally use your imagination may be particularly effective in enhancing feelings of awe.
5. Connect with awe-inspiring stories.
Not all stories – but some – can create opportunities for awe, as they can transport us beyond our ordinary lives to other contexts. Considering this, a fifth recommendation for experiencing awe in everyday life is to personally connect with stories that stimulate awe.
6. Be mindful of awe.
If there was a way to summarize all of the above ideas into a single, general, recommendation for you to apply, it would be this: learn to be mindful of opportunities to benefit from awe in your everyday life.
One way to do this is to recognize when you need a boost in a key area of life in which awe is implicate.
Observe when you feel spiritually empty or disengaged. Awe may help you to feel a connection with something greater or beyond yourself.