This post was written by Dave Johnson PhD, CNS-BC, LCSW, LMFT, HNB-BC, Parkview Center for Healthy Living.
Sources of wonder and awe
Wonder: “A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration.”
Awe: “The feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” As defined by author and psychologist Dacher Keltner.
We find wonder and awe in many places, including:
- Moral beauty
- Collective effervescence
- Nature
- Music
- Visual design, art and architecture
- Spirituality, mysticism and religion
- Life and death
- Epiphany
Making sure you’re being mindful
Sadly, it can be easy to miss these wondrous moments. To assess if you’re being mindful, it helps to ask yourself these questions:
Am I here?
Am I breathing?
Am I on autopilot?
Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “Mindfulness is the miracle by which we can call back our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.”
Cultivating the ability to be and remain present can also be an avenue to awe.
What’s keeping us from being mindful?
We live in a world wired for chronic stress. We are constantly be asked to complete tasks, take in media and engage in some way. The problem is, stress is hijacking our ability to focus on the present moment. In fact, this heightened state of anxiousness is contributing to:
- Monkey mind (rumination)
- Eating disturbances
- Sleep disturbances
- Feelings of fear
- Fatigue
- Autopilot behavior
- Organ damage
- Sensations of fight, flight or freeze
- The feeling of constantly “putting out fires”
Impacts of autopilot
When we give in to the distractions robbing us of mindfulness, we have a tendency to go on autopilot, which presents a number of risks. Among the damaging responses linked to autopilot, we see:
- Missed moments for presence
- Old stories and habits die hard
- Cortisol release which contributes to organ damage
- Unhealthy numbing habits
- Ruminative thinking
- Fear, anxiety, anger and lateral violence
- Feelings of being stuck and a return to old patterns
- Missing awe!
How to cultivate mindful behaviors
There are so many great resources available online to help people cultivate more mindfulness. Some of my favorites include:
- Breathing awareness
- Moment to moment sensory awareness
- Listening intently for meaning
- Approaching the world with curiosity and a beginner’s mind
- Noticing yourself and your environment
- Rethinking old patterns and reactions
- Journaling
- Finding a mindful mentor
- Establishing a discipline or mindfulness practice
When in doubt, try head-to-toe self-care by doing a body scan. Work through your body, from the top of your skull to your toes, noticing any sensations. What do you feel in your head, shoulders, heart/chest, hands, gut, legs, feet?
Learn more
Interested in learning more about the benefits of mindfulness. Check out these articles on our blog, the Parkview Dashboard:
Bringing mindfulness into your home
Finding goodness: Appreciative Inquiry and mindfulness
Dr. Dave Johnson offers mindfulness sessions through the Parkview Center for Healthy Living. For information about classes and events, please call 260-266-6500.
