Savouring

"Savouring is the capacity to attend to, appreciate and enhance the positive experiences in one’s life. (Hefferon and Boniwell, 2011). Take a walk with nature, enjoy a meal with friends or sleep in late on a cold Sunday morning. The important point is to be present in the moment, grateful for the experience and to use all of your senses to develop a heightened awareness of how that moment makes you feel. In-the-moment present mindedness allows us to take a more detailed mental photograph that we can relive or share with others at a later time.  Research tells us that people reporting higher levels of gratitude levels experience lower levels of envy and depression, improved social integration, increased life satisfaction, and increased academic performance (Froh, et al., 2010). Allowing yourself these little moments of happiness can have a big impact on your wellbeing." (Institute of Positive Education  Tara Clark)

In Autahi we have been exploring the idea of savouring a little bit.  We started by thinking about a memory from our holiday that we really enjoyed, that brought us happiness, calm, joy or excitement.  Then we did some art representing that memory, thinking about capturing the moment.  We then wrote about the moment.  Next we shared our happy memories and then we practised visualising the moments.  We closed our eyes, pictured where we were, who we were with, what we could see around us and what emotions we and the others were feeling.  After doing this everyone in the class reported back that they were feeling happier in that moment.  

Have a look at our savoured moments.

We are working hard to stop, breathe and appreciate the small moments.  Even stopping for an aesthetic break to appreciate our beautiful surroundings helps to increase our gratitude and overall wellbeing.  Have a think about the last time you stopped to do this and if it's been a while, we encourage you to give it a try today!