Happiness Activity No. 9: Savoring Life’s Joys
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Researchers define savoring as any thoughts or behaviors capable of “generating, intensifying, and prolonging enjoyment.”
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People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and to experience intense emotions. In contrast, those proficient at reminiscing about the past—looking back on happy times, rekindling joy from happy memories—are best able to buffer stress. You can apply different strategies to foster savoring such as enjoying ordinary experiences, savor and reminisce with family and friends, replay happy days, celebrate good news, be open to beauty and excellence, take pleasure in the senses, be mindful, etc.
Learn more here.
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Exercise
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Starting tomorrow, consider your daily routine activities and rituals. Do you notice and savor the pleasures of the day, or do you dash through them? If the latter, then resolve to seize those pleasures when they happen and take full advantage of them. Linger over your morning pastry or your afternoon snack, absorbing the aroma, the sweetness, or the crunchiness (rather than mindlessly consuming). Strive to bask in the feeling of accomplishment when you’ve finished a task at home or work, rather than distractedly moving on to the next item on your to-do list. Luxuriate in a long, hot shower after a brisk walk in the cold. That perfect moment can last a few seconds or a weekend.
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
Exercise
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Make a list of happy memories and personal mementos (such as photographs, gifts, and souvenirs) and then engage in positive reminiscing twice daily for a week.
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First, turn to your list of positive memories and choose one to reflect upon. Then sit down, take a deep breath, relax, close your eyes, and begin to think about the memory. Allow images related to the memory to come to mind. Try to picture the events associated with this memory in your mind. Use your mind to imagine the memory. Let your mind wander freely through the details of the memory, while you are imagining the memory.
Exercise
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Think about one of your happiest days - the first time you heard “I love you”, the first day of your dreamt vacation, etc. - and replay it in your mind as though you were rewinding a videotape and playing it back. Think about the events of the day, and remember what happened in as much detail as you can. What exactly did you (or other people involved) say or do? What were the thoughts and emotions running through your head at the time? Don’t analyze this day; just replay and revel in it.
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Researchers found that people who performed this exercise for eight minutes per day on three consecutive days felt more intense positive emotions four weeks later.
Check your happiness level before and after you do the exercises using Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.