Resiliency Training – Lesson 7, Awe & Wonder
September 5, 2022
Welcome back to Resiliency Training - Lesson 7
The resiliency training lesson of week 7 has us tapping the power of Awe & Wonder!
Seeking out experiences that evoke awe and wonder has many resiliency-inducing benefits:
- Lowers stress levels
- Improves mood (your emotions!)
- Increases your sense of connection to others
- Stimulates new ways of thinking
Like practicing other Resiliency Training practices, awe and wonder experiences also compound over time! (SharpBrains)
For example, those experiencing awe and wonder a few times per week over the course of several weeks report greater well-being and overall satisfaction than those who don’t.
(are you picking up on some foreshadowing here too!?)
Being in awe stops our constant self-evaluation brain chatter we’re always caught up in (think stress and overwhelm) and shifts our awareness outside of ourselves to what we’re experiencing in the present moment that is bigger than us. (HBR)
How to get your Awe & Wonder on…
While sweeping mountain-top vistas and vast ocean views evoke awe and wonder, you don’t have to travel to these destinations to get your awe & wonder on.
Here are some easily accessible ways to experience AWE & WONDER right now!
- Go outside! The guided nature walk from our last lesson serves awe & wonder as well.
- A photograph or painting of something awe-invoking – gaze upon it with your full attention.
- Natural items inside – I find washing kale to be awe inspiring! Choose a plant or vase of flowers to gaze upon.
- Recall a favorite place that brought you awe and wonder – vividly recall the experience as if it’s happening right now.
- Cook something and be keenly aware of the textures, smells, sounds, etc.
- The mundane – take something mundane like watering the plants or eating and slow it down until it becomes something new and different.
Now it’s your turn! Make your own awe list –
what conjures up in you feelings of awe, wonder, inspiration, curiosity?
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Resiliency Training #7 - AWE & WONDER!
AWE & WONDER - attention + intention + repeat
Here’s your assignment to practice Resiliency Lesson # 7, Awe & Wonder:
Instructions:
- Step 1: Set your intention to practice awe & wonder twice per week for four weeks (we all know how practice helps us rewire our brain by now, right!?). Put it on your calendar, hang up sticky notes, or try putting a handful of stones or other objects on the left side of your desk…each time you experience awe and wonder move one of the objects to the right side of your desk - by the end of the week you can see how many times you practiced awe and wonder!
- Step 2: Peruse the list of awe and wonder experiences above &/or add your own personal inspirations to the list. Choose one and move onto Step 3!
- Step 3: Set your intention to follow these helpful tips that will enhance your experience:
TIPS…
- Full attention: Put your full attention on whatever it is you are experiencing or looking at.
- Linger: You may feel the need to rush. Set that aside and allow yourself to fully linger on the experience in the present moment.
- Slow down: no matter what you choose, allow yourself to slow down and bring your full curiosity to whatever the experience is – both the mountain top and the mundane – examine it slowly from all angles.
- Senses: Open all of your senses to the experience. What are you seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling, sensing?
- Alien curiosity: no matter what you choose to practice on, pretend you are an alien being seeing and experiencing it for the first time.
- Step 4: Journal on your experience - jot down some notes at the end of each week. What do you notice about seeking and experiencing awe & wonder?
Enjoy yourself in each of these moments of awe & wonder.
After all, a happy life is simply a series of happy moments!
Where did we come from? Links to Resiliency Lessons 1 - 6
Knowing resiliency is a core leadership capacity in 2022 and beyond, we have explored 7 different doorways into easily and effectively deactivating your fight/flight/freeze high-alert nervous system response, allowing you to move from stress and overwhelm back to a resilient state.
Each doorway is a different way into the same place – a state of being and doing where we feel fully resourced, connected to what matters most, and resonate with others we’re working with and for. Just in case you missed any lessons or would like to revisit your favorites:
Expand the circle
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