"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back
and realize they were the big things."
-Kurt Vonnegut JR.
The holiday season is filled with office parties, gift shopping, and coordinating family travel (and meals...so many meals). It’s easy to get caught up in all the little things. Between standing in line for that perfect gift and mitigating family arguments over who was supposed to bring the eggnog (and the rum, where is the rum?) it’s vital that we take time to stop and smell the roses…or poinsettias! According to Fred B. Bryant, a social psychologist, often considered the father of savouring - savouring is the deliberate, mindful awareness of the present moment. "His body of work, summarized in his book Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience, shows that when we slow down our thoughts to savor positive events we experience enhanced well-being. In fact, when we focus on really "being" with and connecting to these special moments, instead of letting them quickly pass by, we are able to increase the effect these positive events have on our emotions." (Reference)
Here are some documented benefits of building and using your savouring "muscle":
Savouring counterbalances the experience of unpleasant emotions during stressful events (Zautra, Affleck, Tennen, Reich, & Davis, 2005)
Savouring predicts higher levels of life satisfaction, happiness, and perceived control in adolescents and older adults - truly important at all ages and stages! (Bryant, 2003)
Savouring relates to higher levels of positive affect/emotion and life satisfaction (Quoidbach, Berry, Hansenne, & Micolajczk, 2010)
Relational Savouring, such as explicit disclosure of positive events to a partner, increases the quality of the relationship and levels of self-esteem - this may be why morning coffee with my husband is so connecting for us. (Pagania et al., 2015)
Savouring helps people balance family and career responsibilities more effectively - our savouring could actually be a skill for better work/life balance - super cool! (Camgoz, 2014)
Savouring promotes positive relationships when experiencing a wholehearted response to a narrated positive event by other people - isn't it remarkable that our presence "with" another person as they tell a story actually improves our relationship with that person - just wow! (Reis, Smith, Tsai, Rodriguez, & Maniaci, 2010)
There is SO much research that supports how savouring improves overall happiness and well-being, these are just a few. We invite you to share your favourite ways to savour the season, the holidays or life in general - join us on Thursday December 15th for the EWC Winter Well-being Circle! During this Circle, we will go through a set of reflections and visualizations focused on "feel good" hormones. Don't let 2022 escape your grasp without bathing beautifully in the ambiance and aroma of the memories you mindfully created this past year. Let your mind integrate and lay down the neuronal pathways that will make this time of your life accessible to you, year after year after year.
For this event ONLY, we are offering a complimentary ticket so you can learn about the EWC and all the ways that our Circle may help you replenish your energy and find more joy.
Get your ticket here:
The EWC Winter Well-being Circle for Woman
Savour & Celebrate: A seasonal way to manage energy not time
Thursday December 15, 2022 @6:30pmCT/7:30pmET
Click here to register & learn more!
Reclaiming your life starts with one simple decision – to know you need it - to know you’re worth it and to believe that peace, joy and love are not just around the corner they are right under your nose - time to breathe it all in.