Cultivating Awe: Discovering Beauty in the Everyday

In our fast-paced modern world, it's easy to overlook the extraordinary in the ordinary. Yet, cultivating a sense of awe—a feeling of wonder and amazement at the world around us—can profoundly impact our wellbeing and happiness. This article explores the concept of awe, its benefits, and practical ways to incorporate more awe-inspiring moments into our daily lives.

Understanding Awe

Awe is more than just a fleeting emotion. It's a complex experience that involves feeling small in the presence of something vast, whether that's a breathtaking landscape, a powerful idea, or a profound human connection. Dr. Kirk J. Schneider, a leading expert in existential-humanistic psychology, defines awe as "the humility and wonder or sense of adventure toward living."

According to Schneider, awe is fundamentally about being deeply moved by something. It requires a certain level of presence and openness to our experiences, both internal and external. This state of being present allows us to tap into a wellspring of wonder that's always available to us, if only we learn to access it.

The Difference Between Happiness and Awe

While happiness is often seen as the ultimate goal in life, Schneider suggests that there are dimensions beyond happiness that can be even more gratifying, especially in the long run. He describes happiness as a "light and feeling" associated with play, humor, and pleasure. While these are certainly positive experiences, they tend to be passing feelings.

In contrast, emotions like joy and awe involve our whole bodily experience. They encompass what Schneider calls "the whole enchilada"—the good, the bad, and the ugly. This means being able to be present with our most vulnerable and difficult feelings as well as our most exuberant and expansive ones.

Cultivating this "fluid center," as Schneider terms it, allows us to live a more fully gratifying life. It's about developing the capacity to deeply matter to ourselves and others, which often requires inner work and the ability to confront and work through difficult emotions and experiences.

The Benefits of Cultivating Awe

Research has shown that experiencing awe can have numerous benefits for our mental and physical wellbeing:

1. Expanded perception of time: Awe can make us feel like we have more time available, reducing impatience and increasing our willingness to volunteer time to help others.

2. Increased prosocial behavior: People who experience awe are more likely to engage in helping behaviors and feel a greater connection to humanity as a whole.

3. Enhanced creativity: Awe can inspire us to think more creatively and see the world from new perspectives.

4. Improved physical health: Some studies suggest that experiencing awe can lower levels of cytokines, which are associated with inflammation in the body.

5. Greater life satisfaction: Regular experiences of awe are associated with higher levels of overall life satisfaction and wellbeing.

Practical Ways to Cultivate Awe

Schneider suggests several "lenses of awe" that we can use to cultivate more awe-inspiring experiences in our daily lives:

1. The Lens of Transience

This lens involves recognizing the passing nature of time and life. By acknowledging that each moment is unique and fleeting, we can learn to savor our experiences more deeply.

Practice: Take a few moments to envision something or someone dear to you. Reflect on the fact that this moment, this experience, will never be exactly the same again. How does this realization change your perception and appreciation of the moment?

2. The Lens of Wonder and Surprise

This lens encourages us to approach situations with openness and curiosity, allowing ourselves to be surprised by what we encounter.

Practice: In your next interaction with a familiar person or situation, consciously set aside your usual expectations. Approach the interaction with fresh eyes, as if experiencing it for the first time. What new details or aspects do you notice?

3. The Lens of Connection

This lens helps us see how we're connected to something greater than ourselves, whether that's nature, humanity, or the universe as a whole.

Practice: Next time you're in nature, take a moment to consider how you're part of the larger ecosystem. How does your breath connect you to the plants around you? How does the ground beneath your feet connect you to the earth's core?

4. The Lens of Intricacy

This lens involves noticing and appreciating the subtle details in our environment that we might usually overlook.

Practice: Choose an object in your immediate environment—perhaps a leaf, a piece of fabric, or even your own hand. Spend five minutes examining it closely, noting as many details as you can. What do you discover that you've never noticed before?

5. The Lens of Emotion

This lens encourages us to experience the world not just intellectually, but emotionally and bodily as well.

Practice: The next time you're moved by something—whether it's a piece of music, a beautiful scene, or a touching interaction—pause to fully feel the emotion. Where do you feel it in your body? What thoughts or memories does it evoke?

6. The Lens of Solitude

This final lens involves learning to be present with ourselves in undistracted spaces and times.

Practice: Set aside 15-20 minutes for solitude. Find a quiet space where you won't be disturbed. Simply sit with yourself, observing your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment. What do you discover about yourself in these moments of quiet presence?

Incorporating Awe into Daily Life

While these practices can be helpful, the real challenge is incorporating a sense of awe into our everyday lives. Here are some suggestions:

1. Start your day with wonder: Before checking your phone in the morning, take a moment to look out the window and notice something beautiful or interesting about the day.

2. Practice mindful walking: Whether you're walking to work or just around your neighborhood, pay attention to your surroundings. Notice the play of light and shadow, the textures of different surfaces, the sounds of nature or city life.

3. Engage with art: Visit museums, listen to music, or read poetry. Art has a unique ability to evoke awe and wonder.

4. Learn something new: Engage with complex ideas or learn a new skill. The vastness of human knowledge and the process of discovery can be awe-inspiring.

5. Connect with others: Deep, meaningful conversations can evoke a sense of awe at the complexity and depth of human experience.

6. Stargaze: Few things are more awe-inspiring than contemplating the vastness of the universe on a clear night.

7. Keep a wonder journal: At the end of each day, write down one thing that inspired a sense of awe or wonder in you.

Overcoming Obstacles to Awe

In our busy, often stressful lives, it can be challenging to maintain a sense of awe and wonder. Here are some common obstacles and how to overcome them:

1. Busyness: We're often too rushed to pause and notice the world around us. Solution: Schedule "awe breaks" into your day, even if it's just for a few minutes.

2. Cynicism: It's easy to become jaded and lose our sense of wonder. Solution: Consciously challenge your cynical thoughts. Look for evidence of beauty and goodness in the world.

3. Overfamiliarity: We tend to stop noticing things we see every day. Solution: Try to see your familiar environment with fresh eyes. What would a visitor notice that you've stopped seeing?

4. Digital distraction: Constant engagement with screens can disconnect us from the physical world. Solution: Set boundaries on your screen time and make a point of engaging with the physical world around you.

5. Stress and anxiety: These mental states can make it hard to open ourselves to awe. Solution: Use mindfulness techniques to help manage stress, creating more mental space for wonder and awe.

Conclusion

Cultivating a sense of awe is not about waiting for extraordinary experiences to come our way. Instead, it's about learning to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to find wonder in the everyday world around us. By practicing the lenses of awe and incorporating awe-inspiring moments into our daily routines, we can enhance our wellbeing, deepen our appreciation for life, and cultivate a more meaningful and satisfying existence.

As Dr. Schneider reminds us, awe is an endless well of possibility that we can draw from at any moment. By learning to tap into this well, we open ourselves to a richer, more vibrant experience of life—one filled with wonder, connection, and deep appreciation for the beautiful complexity of our world.

So the next time you step outside, take a moment to really look at the sky, to feel the breeze on your skin, to listen to the sounds around you. In these simple acts of presence and attention, you might just find yourself experiencing a moment of awe, a fleeting glimpse of the vast and wondrous world we inhabit. And in that moment, you might find not just happiness, but something deeper and more enduring—a sense of connection, of meaning, of being fully alive.

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