Day 5 - Compassion
Wellbeing Practice - Learn how to take a self-compassion break and nurturing a sense of awe
Our first wellbeing practice today is bringing a sense of awe and wonder into your life by doing one of the following activities:
take an awe walk
sign up to a website or facebook page that promotes design ideas for climate change
follow a positive news site to find ways of remembering how incredible human beings are and what an extraordinary world we live in
listen to music
look at a work of art
You can choose anything from this list that resonates with you or you can make up your own activity.
Here are some suggestions about how to take an awe walk from Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life.
How to Do It
With the right outlook, awe can be found in almost any environment, turning a mundane experience into a flight of inspiration and wonder. It is most likely to occur in places that have two key features: physical vastness and novelty. These could include natural settings, like a hiking trail lined with tall trees, or urban settings, like at the top of a skyscraper.
You’re more likely to feel awe in a new place, where the sights and sounds are unfamiliar to you. That said, some places never seem to get old.
No matter where you are, the key is to be in the right frame of mind. This practice is designed to help you get there—to turn an ordinary walk into a series of awe-inspiring moments, filled with delightful surprises.
To get started, turn off your cell phone. Cell phones (and other gadgets) can be distracting and draw your attention away from what’s happening around you. Even better, don’t bring your phone with you at all so that you won’t be tempted to check it.
During your walk, try to approach what you see with fresh eyes, imagining that you’re seeing it for the first time. Then follow these steps:
Take a deep breath in. Count to six as you inhale and six as you exhale. Feel the air move through your nasal passages and hear the sound of your breath. Come back to this breath throughout the walk.
As you start to walk, feel your feet on the ground and listen to the surrounding sounds.
Shift your awareness now so that you are open to what is around you, to things that are vast, unexpected, things that surprise and delight.
Take another deep breath in. Again, count to six as you inhale and six as you exhale.
Let your attention be open in exploration for what inspires awe in you. Is it a wide landscape? The small patterns of light and shadow? Let your attention move from the vast to the small.
Continue your walk and, every so often, bring your attention back to your breath. Count to six as you inhale and six as you exhale. Notice—really notice—the multitude of sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations that are dancing through your awareness, usually undetected.
Once you get in the habit of taking walks like this, you may be struck by how frequently you have opportunities to experience awe—they are practically infinite.
As you move through your day, take note of the moments that bring you wonder, that give you goosebumps: These are your opportunities for awe. They may be in city areas, in front of art, listening to music, or connecting with others. Go out and find your awe moments and listen to them carefully; see where they guide you. As they stir humility and wonder, you may discover that they point you toward what you're supposed to do while you're here on Earth.
Here are some more specific ideas for where to take an awe-inspiring walk.
Natural settings:
A mountain with panoramic views
A trail lined with tall trees
The shore of an ocean, lake, river, or waterfall
A clear night when you can see the stars
A place where you can watch a sunset or sunrise
Urban settings:
The top of a skyscraper… or look up in an area dense with tall buildings
A historic monument
A part of your city that you’ve never explored before
A large ballpark or stadium
A city art walk and explore different galleries
Botanical gardens or a zoo to see plants and animal species you’ve never seen before
Walk around with no destination in mind and see where it takes you
Why is awe important to cultivate in our lives? Well some studies suggest that experiencing awe may help improve your mood in the moment and over time. It is also good for your health and studies are now being done into how it might help us by reducing inflammation in the body. Awe also puts us more in touch with science and sharpens our brains. It can help us to feel less materialistic as it elevates our experience of the world above the mundane aspect of bills and concerns often driven by money. And the effect of awe that I love the most is that it can make you feel like you have more time - amazing right? Here’s what the study showed:
...people induced to feel awe felt less impatient and agreed more strongly with statements suggesting that time is plentiful and expansive. The researchers speculate that by immersing us in the moment, awe may allow us to savor the here and now.
“Awe-eliciting experiences might offer one effective way of alleviating the feeling of time starvation that plagues so many people in modern life,” the researchers write.
Awe can also make us feel more generous, cooperative and connected, helping to bring people together.
SELF COMPASSION BREAK
Our second wellbeing practice for today is learning and practising how to take a self- compassion break. This idea comes from the researcher Kristin Neff and I would definitely suggest you check out her videos on youtube.
The first step to a self compassion break is noticing when you start to feel stressed, self-critical or overwhelmed. In my experience a regular meditation practice helps us to do this and so we can catch ourselves on the slide early and bring ourselves back into balance more easily.
So as you go through your day today notice if you feel overwhelmed, sad, stressed out, if you go into negative thoughts about how life isn’t fair, experience self-pity or find yourself feeling it’s everyone else’s fault. When this happens pause and try the self-compassion break outlined below.
If nothing in your day today is stressing you out - hoorah! In this case you can think of a situation in your life from the past that is difficult, that is or has caused you stress. It doesn't have to be something big it can be something small, maybe even trivial. Call the situation to mind, and see if you can actually feel the stress and emotional discomfort in your body.
Now, say to yourself:
1. This is a moment of suffering - self pity - focus your attention on not feeling sorry for yourself but noticing you are suffering
That’s mindfulness. Other options include saying:
This hurts.
Ouch.
This is stress.
2. Suffering is a part of life
That’s common humanity. Other options include:
Other people feel this way.
I’m not alone.
We all struggle in our lives.
Now, put your hands over your heart, feel the warmth of your hands and the gentle touch of your hands on your chest. Or adopt a soothing touch which feels right for you.
Say to yourself:
3. May I be kind to myself
You can also ask yourself, “What do I need to hear right now to express kindness to myself?” Is there a phrase that speaks to you in your particular situation, such as:
May I give myself the compassion that I need
May I learn to accept myself as I am
May I forgive myself
May I be strong.
May I be patient
This practice can be used any time of day or night, and will help you remember to evoke the three aspects of self-compassion when you need them most.
Forgiving and nurturing yourself can set the stage for better health, relationships, and general well-being. Self-compassion yields a number of benefits, including lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Meditation - Loving Kindess
Meditation - Loving Kindess
Wellbeing Practice - Learn how to take a self-compassion break and nurturing a sense of awe