When we think about experiencing awe, the stories that come to mind are often rare and #life-changing events. For most of us, the experiences that come readily to mind include visiting Paris for the first time after dreaming about it for years, snorkeling in clear tropical waters amidst pools of colourful fish, and visiting ancient ruins that bring to mind images of those living there thousands of years ago. These experiences evoke wonder and amazement.
The bottom line – awe appears to be more than just a pleasant experience, it may also boost health and well-being and help people form and maintain relationships.
The benefits of awe are all well and good, but how often can we actually reap those benefits? How often do we really get to have the types of experiences that inspire awe? More often than you might think. The general studies being done on awe aren’t flying people to the Great Wall of China or taking them snorkeling in the Tropics. These studies use simple methods to inspire awe in your life. So we can take away more from these studies than just their results, we can also take away the knowledge that we don’t need to be standing at the peak of Mt. Everest to feel awe and reap its benefits. We can get a bit of that right here at home, just by walking out our front doors or clicking the right buttons on our computer. Few ways to bring that AWE in your life can be as follows-
Read stories about people doing inspiring things.
Vastness isn’t just about physical size—it can also be about someone’s immense talents. Reading stories about people who have done amazing things in history or the present day can inspire awe.
Look at old pictures you took on your most amazing trip.
Have you gone somewhere awe-inspiring before? Did you take photos of the trip? Taking an evening to go back through those old photos will not only inspire awe, they will also inspire happiness and many other positive emotions—joy, pride, gratitude, nostalgia. Even better—if you had companions on the trip, look at the photos with them and retell your tales.
Hang out with a child
The world is new, vast, and awe-inspiring for children. Spending time with little kids is an immersion in awe—each of the little things we take for granted—water! Music! Trees! It inspires awe in them. And being around them, you can’t help but catch a bit of that awe yourself.