Cultivating Wonder…. .A Balm for 2020
Won/der – noun, definition:
A feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar
“Still, what I want in my life
is to be willing
to be dazzled—
to cast aside the weight of facts
and maybe even
to float a little
above this difficult world.
I want to believe I am looking
into the white fire of a great mystery.
I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing—
that the light is everything—that it is more than the sum
of each flawed blossom rising and falling. And I do.”
― Mary Oliver, House of Light
Humans, by nature, are curious creatures. We generally love to try new things, and are wired to explore, innovate, adapt and create. Children are full of wonder as they experience the world through their senses and often delight in simple things around them. At some point the ‘wonder’ fades and the worries start to take up more of our attention. Arguably, this year in particular has tipped the scales to fear, anxiety and worry more than any before. It may be time to dial up our sense of ‘wonder’ as a balm to soothe our furrowed brows, and calm our monkey mind. As Mary Oliver says perhaps it’s time to ‘float a little above this difficult world’.
With current limits on our social engagements, travel, fitness, and sporting events I offer up ‘Cultivating Wonder’ as a simple and accessible way to enhance your daily life and increase your feel-good endorphins. The sense of awe, and newness of something that we adore, helps elevate our mood by focussing our attention on things that bring us joy resulting in increases in the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. It also has been shown to reduce inflammation by a reduction in proinflammatory cytokines, and improve overall immune function.1
Here is my top 7 list to Cultivate Wonder:
Explore a new neighbourhood: Even a small change of scenery can do wonders to open you up to new experiences. A friend recently shared that she and her partner pretended they were in Portland for a day and sought out local places that reminded them of that favourite city. They also pretended to be in France for an evening by enjoying a well-loved local French restaurant. Get creative and have fun!
Change direction: If you normally walk, drive or jog a circuit in a particular way, switch things up and reverse direction – getting off autopilot engages the senses and helps you see things in a new way.
Learn something new: If you’ve wanted to learn an instrument, cook a particular dish, or do a DIY home project, begin it now. With Google as your guide it’s all at our fingertips – the hardest part is making a decision and starting. Put aside expectations of perfection and enjoy the experienc
Look deeply into Nature: When the lockdowns began, I recall one boy remarked that he had spent 45 minutes watching an inch worm moving in the grass. I find while paddle-boarding I’m marvelling at the kelp, the sea anemones, the crabs all moving deep below. Previously, I may have focussed in this manner while travelling afar, now I do so locally at the ocean and in the forests.
Meditate: Our own inner landscapes are truly fascinating and, with guidance and consistency to keep us on track, each time we sit and consciously turn inward we are stepping into our own mystery. What happens when we still our mind and open to our heart’s communication? It may be a faint whisper but in time it can become a source of deep knowing and inspiration.
Take a ‘media fast’: All devices remove us from ourselves and focus our attention outward, and often on negative news and headlines. The blue-light exposure depletes melatonin and serotonin levels and creates a craving/reward dopamine addiction cycle. We likely have all experienced this hard-to-break habit, and it takes discipline to step away. Perhaps 1 day a week, or 3 days in a row try not touching your device and see how life looks from that point of view.
Look Up At The Stars: Observing the heavens on a clear night is a nearly universal source of awe and wonder. The more we learn, the more questions we have. I make a point of looking up at the night sky whenever I wake early. Worries fade away and are put in perspective.
Any way that you can enhance your perception of the world around you, and shift from worry to wonder, or awe, you end up potentially richer in both experience and physical health.
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.“ - Socrates
“Think and Wonder, Wonder and Think!” - Dr. Seuss
1Stellar, J. E., John-Henderson, N., Anderson, C. L., Gordon, A. M., McNeil, G. D., & Keltner, D. (2015). Positive affect and markers of inflammation: Discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion, 15(2), 129–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000033