‘BIG AWE’ and ‘small awe.’ What They Are and Why You Should Know!

Being overwhelmed can create anxiety in our minds. We feel unable to make decisions because of too many tasks. We can be irritable and worry constantly over the little things. We might feel forgetful, disorganized, or pessimistic. Overwhelm can interfere with our ability to focus and make good decisions. In essence, we can feel like we don’t know which way to turn, Many of us, including myself, have experienced some level of being negatively overwhelmed in our lives.

But . . . did you know that there is another type of overwhelm? If not, you need to know it!

We can be overwhelmed by the emotion of “awe!”

John Weing, one of our congregation members, sent me a link to a great example of awe. It is a video of musician André Rieu, a Dutch violinist, conducting “Nearer My God to Thee” in a magnificent outdoor setting.  The link to the video is below:  When it is over, just sit for a moment.  Think about what you just watched.  Think about how you were feeling as you watched it.

If you are like Brenda and I, you most likely experienced a sense of awe, of being a bit overwhelmed by something so beautiful and full of emotions.

Dacher Keltner, founding director at The Greater Good Science Center and awe researcher, defines awe as “a feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world.”

Awe can be found in those vast, rare moments when we experience something that tugs at the edges of our minds as we try to comprehend it. At one of our family gatherings, we shared stories of some of our moments of awe – rock concerts, motorcycle trips, cycling tours, rock climbing, heli-skiing, seeing the Grand Canyon, special holidays to places we had never been, experiencing the births of our children, and more.  These were the things we thought of as ‘BIG AWE.’

However, and maybe more importantly, awe can be experienced every day . . . if that is a choice we make.  Our discussion shifted from ‘BIG AWE’ to ‘small awe’ – everyday things that could create awe just as powerfully in our lives.

When we take the time, we can find awe in our daily lives – things so common that our minds don’t ‘see’ them, our perceptions ignore them.  They are usually things we often take for granted.  Here are some examples:

• A tree we pass everyday on the way to work but don’t think of the miracle of its growth over many years.
• A light switch we expect to work every time we flick it on – where does that electricity come from?
• A tiny flower forcing its way up through the pavement.
• The first snowflakes of the year.
• The car that starts every morning
• The moon and stars that show up in the night sky.

Two Things You Should Know

1. Our rational minds can only focus on, or pay attention to, one thing at a time.  Multitasking is a myth, an illusion.  Even a juggler only touches one ball at a time – the rest is part of the illusion.
2. You can choose the one thing you want to focus on in the present moment.  Everything else gets momentarily pushed into the background of your mind.

Think back to watching André Rieu conducting “Nearer My God to Thee” in the video.  If you were like Brenda and I, even on the second time we watched it, your mind was most likely focused on that one thing and the feelings you were experiencing.

Five Benefits of Awe

There is ample research about the benefits of awe but here are five we should know about.  When we take the time to create an awe moment or experience, the feelings can help us:

1. See the bigger picture and worry less about small stuff.
2. Feel more connected to others and the world.
3. Shift our focus away from anxiety and bring a sense of calm.
4. Increase our appreciation and overall satisfaction with our lives.
5. Open our mind to new ideas and possibilities.

What You Can Do

Teja Pattabhiraman, policy analyst at UC Berkely School of Public Health, suggests the following easy steps:

1. Slow down.
2. Appreciate your five senses – pay attention to them in the moment.
3. Unplug.
4. Take short ‘awe’ walks – inside or outside.
5. Linger in the feeling of awe – don’t rush through the experience.
6. Keep track of how you feel when doing any of the above.

But there is one more thing we can do.  Our faith is often overlooked as a source of wonder and awe. 

Psalm 145: 10-12:  “All creation will stand in awe of You . . . they will talk of the grandeur of Your  kingdom and celebrate the wonder of Your power. . . until everyone on earth . . . knows your valiant acts and the splendor of Your kingdom.”

Now add #7 to the list:  take the time to think of how your faith has contributed to your feelings of awe over the last few days, weeks, months, or even years. 

Any of these seven suggestions can be done inside of 2-5 minutes and just about anywhere at a time of your choosing.   And the payoff . . . well, let’s just say it’s huge!

Awe is a stress buster! In the moments that we experience it, there’s no room for stress or anxiety. When you take time for awe, you stop thinking about yourself and any negative feelings that you might be feeling. Two minutes to stop and experience it – try it!

Sound simple? It really is. Do we do it often enough? Not when we’re ‘busy being busy.’

Stop and look! Take a moment to see, hear, smell, touch, or taste something awe-inspiring . . . or not.

Remember—it’s always your choice

Big thanks to John for sending this video! – Dana & Brenda