posted on: December 31, 2018
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.
As 2018 winds down, it’s time to look ahead to 2019 and ways to make it a great year. Would you like to be happier in 2019? Of course, you would. So in the final 50 for 50 blog post of 2018, I want to share with you an evidence-based way of increasing your happiness level – savoring.
Savoring is the practice of fully experiencing an event and immersing yourself in it. This can be done with events in the past, present, or future. It’s also a practice that many of us don’t engage in enough, myself included. When I was in graduate school, I had to do a project to increase my overall happiness level (see The How of Happiness for more on this topic) and I selected savoring as my strategy for accomplishing this.
At the time, I was the type of person who was always looking toward what was happening next rather than being in the moment. My savoring project required me to slow things down and take them in more. I wanted to be more mindful of my surroundings and more engaged with the people I was with. I created a digital scrapbook of noteworthy moments over the course of the project so that I could remember them better. I even tried to take 30 minute daily vacations so that I could recharge and appreciate my day. These strategies led to me having a fantastic summer that I look back upon fondly.
If you’re thinking of having some sort of mantra or mission for 2019, then I think you should consider savoring life more as one of your options. You’ll feel more connected with others, you’ll be more engaged in your activities, and your happiness levels will increase. This infographic has many more ideas on how to include more savoring in your life. All I can say is that it works, and that there is no real downside to using this strategy more in your life. We all want to be happier in our lives, and with a little forethought, savoring could be the strategy that makes 2019 a truly special year.
Dr. Brian Lomax founded PerformanceXtra™ in 2009 with a mission of helping athletes achieve their goals and their top performances more consistently through a progression of mental skills that enables them to focus on what is truly important.
Learn more about the author: https://performancextra.com/brian-lomax/
Thank you Brian for a wonderful blog on “savor the moments”. Since turning “60” this past year I can truly appreciate your words. What are we waiting for? Get out there and live life without fear. Dance more, hug more & be yourself!
Thank you, Sally! I appreciate your loyal readership. I hope your 2019 will be awesome, and hope to see you at some tennis event(s) throughout the year.