There are moments in life when the world s l o w s down, the weight of existence dissolves, and time is suspended
San Diego was good to me. Of course, being with loved ones made it sweet, and still, something about that place glitters.
I was at Sunset Cliffs, the sea air thick with a salty brine that you can't quite explain, but somehow, you know it’s good for you. I watched the sun melt into the horizon, its light spilling like liquid gold over everything it touched. The colors seeped into the deepest parts of me and my whole being harmonized in response. I held that moment with reverence, as though I were cradling something sacred.
Time was suspended. I wasn’t just watching the sunset—I was with it. Fully present in a way that life’s chaos and endless mental to-do lists so often don’t allow.
I told myself not to forget this moment. In this participatory experience with life, a powerful yet quiet gift emerged— I felt fully alive.
You too, can stop time. It's not just a myth from childhood storybooks; savoring allows us to step away from the rush of life, and return to the essence of what it means to be human. Anaïs Nin wrote, 'We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.' Savoring helps us to create embodied memories that we can return to long after the moment has passed.
Slowing down to notice and appreciate what is around us in an ever-growing chaotic society is a quiet rebellion against a world that tells us to move faster, to want more, and to do more.
It is not a practice that asks us to avoid heavy emotions, its one that invites us to feel more of what makes us feel good. Savoring invites us to reclaim our lives and be active participant in how we show up in the world.
Savoring Life
Dysregulation in our society has many causes, and one significant factor is the amount of time we spend in virtual spaces. Social media can be a lovely place for connection, humor, and inspiration, but it can also perpetuate disconnection, fear, and insecurity.
Many of us aren’t taught the skills of emotional regulation, and when we pair that with a constant stream of negative images and information, it’s no wonder that so many people have a well of unprocessed emotions. This isn’t to suggest that we should turn a blind eye to important information or 'love and light' our way out of seeing what’s happening in the world. However, it’s easy to become dysregulated and unbalanced when we’re consistently ingesting such content.
To start, pause and ask yourself, what does happiness feel like in my body?
If you find yourself unsure, you're not alone. When I’m in session with clients, I often notice that it's much easier for people to describe how stress affects them. They might say, 'My chest feels heavy. I can’t breathe well.' But when it comes to feelings of joy, there’s a noticeable struggle to connect to those sensations in the body.
We are biologically wired for survival which is why it's easier to feel negative emotions more readily; it's a protective mechanism. However, learning to sense what joy feels like in the body not only helps us navigate stress and overwhelm, it also attunes us to the subtleties of joy and happiness.
Joy doesn’t require a lavish event; it can be found in the simplest moments of your daily life if you allow yourself to truly savor them.
One practice to balance and bring more regulation to our bodies is through savoring. Individuals who could savor more in their life, experience greater levels of happiness, increased life satisfaction, and lower levels of depression (Bryant, 2003). To practice savoring bring a gentle awareness to an experience that you enjoy. Though it may seem like a simple technique, when practiced consistently, it can, like a muscle, grow stronger and create profound shifts in how you relate to yourself, others, and the world around you.
Some savoring examples might include.
Taste: Pause and savor the rich taste of your coffee on your tongue. Let yourself take in the warmth, the flavors, and the cozy feeling you might have while drinking it.
Sound: Sit outside for a moment and simply listen. What do you hear, do you notice a gentle breeze, and is that a welcomed feeling after a long and hot summer? Savor the sounds of nature alive all around you.
Sight: Take a moment to look at someone or something you love. What qualities do you notice and appreciate about them? Is a loved one smiling, or it is a pet sleeping peacefully? Savor the vision of their joy or their serenity, and notice, even if its brief, that feeling inside of you.
Touch: When the laundry comes out of the dryer, let yourself savor the warmth, or maybe cuddle up with a cozy blanket. Notice the warmth or the softness of a fabric, and the comforting feeling it brings.
Life can bring us immense suffering. Savoring is not meant to erase that pain or suggest that positive thinking alone can make it disappear. Instead, savoring offers us a moment of reprieve from the mental labyrinth and discomfort, giving us an anchor to the small joys that are still all around us. It's a gentle practice that reminds us that despite the pain we carry there is goodness and beauty around us, and within us, too.
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