SAVORING
{“To Savor” = To derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in}
Have you ever taken a bite of your favorite food and experienced a whole body reaction? For example, when I taste some fresh chocolate ganache, or a spoonful of lemon curd, I close my eyes, smile, sigh, say “mmmmm”, and it seems that my whole body tingles. 😋
Think of your favorite food and imagine yourself eating just one perfect bite….
How do you feel? The experience may only last a few seconds, but the physical and chemical reaction in our body can last for quite a while, can’t it?
That is what “savoring” means. However, in this case, we are going to learn to do this with “micro-moments” in our life that bring pleasure. This is a practice we can do every day. Even though it may take some effort to make it a habit, it will help us to feel happier on a more regular basis.
PRACTICE
Take a minute to think of just one thing that has happened recently that made you smile…. It could be watching some animals at play, a quiet cup of coffee or tea to start your day, a warm hug from a friend…. Whatever it is, picture that moment in your mind right now. 🖼️
- What emotion are you feeling? Try to identify one or more positive emotions as you remember your micro-moment.
- Where in your body do you feel a sense of calm, warmth or pleasant vibration?
Allow yourself to be with those feelings and sensations for 20-30 seconds, if you can. If you can only maintain the positive thoughts, feelings and sensations for 5 seconds at first, that’s okay. This is a practice that you will be able to improve over time.
However, you may find your inner voice saying things like:
- “I don’t deserve to be happy.”
- “If I pay attention to this good thing, something bad is going to happen.”, or
- “It’s not okay to focus on the positive.”
If that happens, don’t worry. Please just notice that inner voice. You will benefit from using the “Aroma Reset” to release any uncomfortable reactions during this process. If you aren’t already using this every day, please feel free to request it now: Aroma Reset Guide
As you get the hang of finding something positive from the past, you can bring that to the present, and even into the future, such as savoring the anticipation of something positive that may happen.
This can be a facet of our daily gratitude practice that can really bring all the parts of ourselves together, and help us to be able to pick out the good things in our lives. All of which eventually retrains the brain to LOOK for the positive. This isn’t false, or toxic, positivity, but rather the ability to see the proverbial “silver lining in every cloud”.
REVIEW
Savor past, present or future micro-moments of feeling safe and happy, for 20-30 seconds at most, throughout the day.
- Attend = notice your feelings, sensations, and thoughts
- Appreciate = really FEEL gratitude — your heart may actually physically feel more full. 💜
- Amplify = allow this practice to grow in yourself, so that you can affect those around you
Be gentle, patience and persistent.
The stuff that matters is small. It’s one second here and one moment there… It’s the compounding of all of these little moments, where you made a slightly different choice, and then when you look back, all of a sudden, you are in a radically different place!
Please share your savoring story in the comments below.
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Based on information by Deb Dana, LCSW
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