And analysis suggests it’s good for your health, too. Awe might help calm the nervous system, reduce inflammation and foster a sense of community (even in the event you expertise the emotion alone). Individuals who took awe walks, one study found, felt extra upbeat and hopeful than walkers who didn’t.
These walks even have restorative advantages, mentioned Dr. Keltner, who has seen the optimistic results firsthand. When his daughter was youthful, she had anxiousness and have become preoccupied with dying, he mentioned. In order that they started to take nightly awe walks to an enormous cedar tree of their neighborhood. Collectively, they touched the tree’s bark and talked concerning the cycle of life. Because the months handed, this ritual linked them to nature and one another, Dr. Keltner mentioned, as his daughter went from being “freaked out about dying” to getting “a way of ‘that is simply a part of life.’”
“An awe stroll generally is a therapeutic ritual,” he mentioned. “Twelve years later, I nonetheless stroll to the touch that tree.”
Able to strive it? Right here’s how:
Determine on a spot.
You’ll be able to choose someplace you’ve by no means been, Dr. Keltner mentioned, including that you simply’re extra prone to really feel awe in an surroundings the place the sights and sounds are unfamiliar — a neighborhood park or path you’ve by no means visited, a brand new neighborhood in your metropolis or city, a physique of water in the event you stay close to one. Or you possibly can journey to a well-known spot and picture that you simply’re seeing it for the primary time, he mentioned.
Regardless of the place you go, the fleeting great thing about a daybreak sky or sundown has been shown to cultivate awe.
When you’ve arrived at your spot, give your self not less than 20 minutes of uninterrupted time. In case you can, flip off your cellphone. Then take a couple of deep breaths “to shift out of our hyper task-focused thoughts,” Dr. Keltner mentioned. Breathe in for 4 counts, maintain for 4, breathe out for six. Do that for a couple of minutes. Then begin strolling.
