The Art of Savoring

Thanksgiving is all about turkey gratitude. Before you can gorge yourself on pie, your grandmother is going to make you go around the dining room table and announce what you are grateful for this year. Everyone will reflect over the past few months and think about something good that happened or maybe they will fall back on the tried-and-true gratitude for family and friends gathering together. Maybe you’ll read a Thanksgiving themed headline about the power of gratitude and decide to start a gratitude journal – always an excellent idea. The practice of gratitude has a significant impact on your happiness in life. Paying attention to all of the good things in our lives is a great way to prime ourselves for the busy stressful weeks before the winter holidays.

Savoring

In our focus on giving thanks and on being grateful though, we often forget about gratitude’s unassuming sister – savoring. Gratitude involves reflecting on the day we just had (or on the past week or month or year) and thinking about good things which have happened to us.

Savoring is in-the-moment gratitude. Instead of reflecting back on the past and thinking about how nice it was, we can use the practice of savoring to be grateful for the good things which are happening to us as they are happening.

Savoring is all about living in the moment and consciously reveling in it. Instead of floating through life without really paying attention, we can slow down and appreciate the bounty of each day and each moment as we are living it. Was the barista at the coffee shop extra friendly today? Enjoy that interaction as it is happening. What did that first sip of coffee taste like? That is a moment to savor! The cool breeze on your face, the bus showing up on time, getting out of class five minutes early, a meaningful connection with a friend, a nice text from your mom, a warm cozy blanket in your dorm room – you can savor each of these things as you experience them.

Sharing your joy

Savoring is even more powerful when you can share it with someone else. If you are with someone, comment on the pleasant experience. Share your positive feelings with them and invite them to savor with you. If you are alone, make a mental note to share your positive experience with someone else later or share your moment through social media. Sharing helps to keep you in the moment longer, to be even more aware of the good things happening to you and to form lasting memories which you can remember when you are experiencing a less pleasant moment.

Deposits in the bank of happiness

Savoring is a great way to recharge your batteries throughout your day. Noticing all of the little pleasant experiences you have as you go about doing whatever you have to do that day can act as a buffer against the inconveniences and frustrations which will also inevitably happen through the day. When you are primed to look for the good, to notice it, to focus on it and appreciate it while it is happening, you can build up a bank of positive energy to draw on when things don’t go your way.

The act of savoring can shift your perspective in a powerful way. Instead of those annoyances being the focal point of your day and having to search for moments to be grateful for when you sit down with your gratitude journal or at the Thanksgiving table, the happy moments can live front and center.

When you gather for your Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow, savor the flavors of the food, the camaraderie of family, the chaos of your cousins, the connections with loved ones and the break from classes. Live as fully in that moment as you can and be grateful for it while it is happening.