💡 Life Tip - Take an Awe Walk (Issue 104)

Reduce sense of self and pain

“These people — 75 years old or older — over time felt less pain and distress. Chronic pain and pain when you’re old is serious. It just rattles your consciousness, and here was a little technique that gave them some peace.”
- Dacher Keltner

My wife sent me this cool article a few days ago: Scientists Asked People To Do 1 Thing Differently While Taking A Walk. The Results Were Astounding.

Dr. Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, talks about how to inject more awe into our lives.

“It’s amazing! It tells us so much about the evolution of the human nervous system,” Keltner, the author of “Awe: The New Science Of Everyday Wonder And How It Can Transform Your Life,” told us. “One region of the brain is deactivated [when we experience awe] — the default mode network. That is where all the self-representational processes take place: I’m thinking about myself, my time, my goals, my strivings, my checklist. That quiets down during awe.”

He recommends what he calls an “awe walk.” Go for a walk, and “while you’re out on your walk, go some place where you might feel a little child-like wonder and look around — look at the small things and look at the big things and just follow that sense of mystery and wonder.”

What he discovered during his 8-week study—with people 75 years old or older—comparing an awe-walk group with a control group:

1. The awe-walk group started to feel more and more awe.

2. They experienced a disappearance of “the self.”

3. Over time, they felt less pain and distress.

My wife and I try to do this every week. We set aside our adult cynicism and enjoy what we see. We love to experience:

• Waterfalls

• Sunrises and sunsets

• Babbling streams

• Mountaintop views

• Mirror-like lakes

• Beautiful old trees

• Wildflowers

• Moss and cool plants

• Interesting insects and snakes

My daughter pointed these out to me while I was in Alaska

These moments help us forget everyday worries and get outside of ourselves. We feel smaller yet more connected with the real world. We put away our phones and social media. We hike, talk, laugh, and enjoy nature.

Yes, we feel awe.

Try it for yourself! Go on a walk and intentionally try to notice the wonderful small things (e.g., a singing bird) and larger amazing things (e.g., a beautiful sunset). Focus on this, lose that sense of self-awareness, and let yourself experience the awe of the world around you.

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I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.