Savoring: the art of savoring life

We tend to let many moments pass without savoring them., without granting ourselves the pleasure of connecting with the present and what it can give us. The technique of savoring, introduced by psychologists Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff, propose that we be aware of this. And also to understand something essential: if we focus on the positive aspects of everyday life, our well-being will intensify.

It may seem obvious to us. We can even interpret it as another theory of positive psychology, like the flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi or the concept flourishing. However, there is something transcendent and decisive in this idea: factors such as Stress or anxiety completely incapacitates us to see, enjoy and feel the beauty of life, as well as the magical simplicity of those things that arise every moment and to which our gaze is increasingly blind.

That’s the evidence. People go through our daily lives with a blindfold on our eyes and a filter in our minds.. We have developed an amazing ability to see problems where there are none, to anticipate worries for which there is no reason yet.

We nourish ourselves with haste and with it we feed unhappiness. What is the meaning of such an existence? Obviously, none. You have to change your focus and learn to savor, to filter the present moment from another, more leisurely and conscious perspective.

Savoring (savor) life, what does this technique consist of?

In the field of psychology there is a concept that is as interesting as it is useful: we are referring to reminiscence. This concept was coined by Dr. Robert Butler, who demonstrated the idea that when we are able to remember significant, peaceful and happy moments from the past we improve the quality of the present. This is frequently seen, for example, in older people with cognitive impairment.

Getting them to evoke certain moments in their life is therapeutic. What’s more, sometimes, even we ourselves see that effect, It is enough to smell a fragrance to remember small fragments of yesterday, those that still continue to make us smile. All of this, all of these processes are directly related to the concept of savoring. Let’s understand why.

Savor the moment to create transcendent and solid memories

Fred Bryant, a social psychologist at Loyola University in Chicago, introduced the term years ago. savoring in the field of positive psychology. He did it through an investigation in which he was able to demonstrate several things.

People We can use certain happy moments from yesterday to alleviate our sadness or discomfort in the present.. These reminiscences, which are accompanied by positive emotions, improve the performance and condition of people with dementia. Likewise, if we are able to accumulate moments of calm and well-being, they will in turn have a positive effect on our mood and even on our resistance to to stress. It is like exercising a psychological muscle capable of improving attention, attitude, motivation and emotions.However, something like this can only be achieved if we know how to apply what Dr. Bryant defines as savoring. That is, you have to Maximize pleasant moments so that they have their impact on our memory. And this is without a doubt what we tend to fail at most.

Savoringthe ability to emotionally intensify our experiences

Quoidbach, Berry, Hansenne and Mikolajczak (2010) also investigated the concept of knowing how to savor the present as a therapeutic tool. Something they point out is that, In a way, it is a way of capitalizing on the present.

It is being able to appreciate on a daily basis what is positive and rewarding due to its simplicity or its transcendence and storing it in memory for future moments. In some way, it is like gaining cognitive reserve and also emotional health.

However, yes, we must be able to correctly apply the art of savoring. It consists of the following:

Anticipation and identification. We must be aware that we are about to enjoy something rewarding. If we are going to hug our partner, our child, if we are going to take a trip, if we are about to have a coffee with a good friend or we are going to walk on the beach, we must anticipate and think that all of these are good moments. Moments that deserve to be remembered.Be present. When we experience these situations we must focus on the here now. We must be receptive to each sensation, to each emotion felt, paying attention to the small details that surround that scene… It is like collecting fragments full of light to put them in a trunk, in our memory chest.Savor the moment thinking about the future. Savoring It is enjoying the moment, being fully aware of everything we are experiencing, but taking into account that all of this will be recorded in our brain for future moments.

A valuable technique to deactivate the negativity bias

The mind has a unique tendency: it tends to focus more on the negative than the positive. This is for a reason, we are programmed to anticipate risks, respond and keep ourselves safe. In summary, to Our brain doesn’t care if we are happy or not, what it basically wants is for us to survive.

Now, just because he acts like this doesn’t mean we can’t change his approach, reprogram him. It is not at all about stopping giving importance to our concerns or the dangers that surround us. The idea is not to obsess and be able to train our mind to learn to be happyto appreciate meaningful and rewarding moments.

In this way, something that positive psychology and the concept of savoring It is that if we are able to savor the placid and positive moments of our daily lives, we will reduce anxiety and stress. It is like reeducate the mental focus to place it more towards positive stimuli than towards worries.

Something like this takes time, it’s true, but the effects are cathartic. It is therefore worth putting it into practice.

You might be interested…