The Awesomeness of Awe

Its not a word we may use too much theses days but Awe is an important part of life.

The online dictionary defines it as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder”

There are all sorts of situations where we might feel awe and they may happen accidentally but increasingly actually searching out situations that leave is filled with awe are thought to be good for our mental health.

Very often those awe-inspiring moments happen by accident we see an amazing sunset or witness a heroic act. But what if we were to seek out moments of awe and wonder.

Nature

Without doubt nature is full of things that inspire awe. We’ve probably all gasped in awe at a wonderful view from a mountain, a wild sea, a beautiful forest or the magic that may be hidden in the depths of the ocean. Perhaps we have marvelled at the serenity of trees that have stood for hundreds of years or the amazing beauty of a dragonfly or butterfly. The colours of exotic birds or the amazing songs they ‘sing’.

Storms are something else that can inspire awe. The power the fact that we have no control over them and although at times obviously they can wreak havoc they can also be things that inspire awe.

Awe can inspire us and remind us in some ways of our smallness – it’s a great way to put things into perspective. So many of our worries can pale into insignificance in the face of the awesomeness of nature. Nature feeds our soul in many different ways so making time to be in nature putting ourselves into positions where we can be inspired by the awesomeness of nature is something we can all do to support our mental health and well-being and give us a more helpful perspective on our lives.

Kindness

One of the other things that can inspire awe is human kindness and heroism. The achievements of others can inspire us whether it is our children performing in a school play after months of practice or watching a child dote on a small helpless animal. But also we can be inspired by people who put themselves out there to support others whether it is training to run a marathon to raise money for cancer research or going out of your way to support friends and relatives or doing what you would to raise awareness about the environment. Humans can definitely inspire awe in other humans.

Overcoming the odds

Seeing others overcome odds –overcoming cancer, surviving being stuck on a mountain, experiencing life changing injuries and somehow manging to not just survive but adapt and thrive can humble us and leave us filled with awe. We all have our heroes and they are the subject of hundreds of wonderful movies that we have probably all loved.

As humans we can delight in the heroism or overcoming of others. Being inspired by others again helps us to experience awe and inspiration.

Seek out awe

Experiencing moments of awe can improve our mood and leave us feeling more satisfied with our life. There is also a thought that it can be good for our health it can help us be more critical and even reduce materialism. When faced with a magnificent sunset lots of ‘things’ feel less important.

But we also need to be careful to make sure we can be in awe of ourselves. We are pretty amazing humans. We have all overcome odds, we have all kept going through dark times, we have all been kind to others, acted selflessly, protected the more vulnerable done things to support the environment.

So, when seeking awe to inspire us don’t forget to hold up a mirror.

Making time to put yourself in positions where you can experience awe is good for us in all sorts of ways. So try to make time to seek out those aweinspiring moments, walks in the forest watching others triumph enjoying the achievements of those we love – it will do us good.

For more about living your life to the fullest check out my book Make it Magnificent available on Amazon.