When is the last time you did a self check-in with regard to how present you are on any given day?

How would you rank yourself on this scale?

1 - I have little awareness of my surroundings and my attention is usually taken up by technology or work demands

10 - I notice the birds, the sound of the wind rustling the leaves, the movements of others nearby, the textures in the room, and the sound of my own breath on a regular basis throughout the day.

If you’re below a 5, I probably don’t need to tell you that this is an area worth your attention.

But how present are you to your own experiences in life, especially the good ones or the ones where you feel proud?

Dr. Ross White, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Belfasts, suggests savoring your experiences for high performers who are used to celebrating their accomplishments for about 7 seconds before moving onto the next challenge.

Professor White lays out 3 ways to build a practice of savoring:

1. Focus your attention on your experiences. Toggle your awareness on the events happening around you and your thoughts and feelings about those events. Notice urges to multitask.

2. Catch killjoy thoughts at flight. Thoughts that dampen down your joy, keep you seeking achievements, or move you on to the next thing.

3. Don’t keep it all inside. Embrace your successes. Communicate your good feelings with others. Share your joy with those close to you.

White says savoring is not an act of indulgence. It’s an act of awareness.

Being anchored in the present moment has qualitative impacts on your wellbeing, your relationships, your decision-making and ability to see possibilities, and your ability to move on after a setback.

What’s a recent experience you had that you moved on too quickly from?

How can you pause and go back to that moment to savor it?

And what if this became a regular practice for you?

I wonder what would shift for you.

Love,

Audrey