Did you know it’s possible to intensify and prolong pleasure by choosing to savor? Savoring can give us the motivation to choose to spend our time in ways that make us happy. Savoring can be a tool to overcome challenge and move through pain. By remembering the experiences that have brought us great joy or practicing present moment savoring, we can give ourselves a moment of relief in the pain of a stressful situation, which can truly be the recharge we need to keep moving forward. The practice of savoring is a learned skill that is a key pathway to Sustainable Happiness.
In the Sustainable Happiness Workshop Series that begins January 3, 2015 , I will be suggesting a specific savoring experience to help you attend to, appreciate and enhance a positive experience. It’s called: Savoring a Beautiful Day.
I offer you this idea now, to give you a little nibble of the strategies you will learn on your pathway to Sustainable Happiness. In this experience, you set aside a block of time for your own pleasure (a minimum of one hour or a maximum of a full eight-hour day.) I suggest treating yourself to a half day and that will be a perfect beginning. Block the time out on your calendar and protect it from all the many things that often wiggle their way in and could potentially interfere. Decide upon a particular activity or series of activities that you know will bring you pleasure. While you are immersed in your day, bring your awareness to your intention to savor every detail of pleasure. Focus on the details that bring pleasure and block out those details that vi for your attention or constitute kill joy thinking. For instance, avoid reminding yourself of other things you should be doing; of what comes next in terms of your responsibilities later on; or of ways your experience could be improved. Take mental photographs that you can pull forward in your memory later or perhaps select a physical memento allowing you to reminisce about your experience with others when you share with them later. The single best way to savor pleasure is to share your experience with others.
To learn more savoring exercises please join me for a six-week program, The Sustainable Happiness Workshop Series, beginning January 3, 2015. Pre-registration is required. You can register here.