By Thomas Rowan
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn”
It is likely that each of us has had moments where we felt overcome by the beauty that surrounds us. We can be looking up at sheer granite peaks in Yosemite National Park, or we can be admiring the bright green trees as we walk next to a river. We may have seen these things many times before, but they have become commonplace. Yet, for some reason, we each have days where the natural world is not only pleasing to the senses, but it also connects with our soul.
Feelings of awe simply come as we cultivate awareness of our current environment. In a speech given at Brigham Young University, John B. Bingham (2021) explained that, “Experiences with awe change us. They cause us to ask questions and move us to learn. Awe is full of paradoxes. It invokes vastness and makes us feel small.” Awe helps us move beyond the mundane and profane aspects of humanity and closer to feelings of transcendence. Awe is essential to creating a life full of meaning and encourages individuals to look outside of themselves and become more connected with the world around them.
In particular, feelings of awe can come when we are immersed in nature, whether we are at a local park admiring the trees swaying in the breeze or feeling the cool rush of water as we dip our hands in a mountain stream. Nature can put us in a position to look outside of our busy minds and slow down. Perhaps John Muir said it best when he stated, “And into the forest I must go, to lose my mind and free my soul.” In a study done by Liu et. al. (2023), researchers found that positive experiences with awe bring about a greater sense of life satisfaction, less negative rumination, and relieve daily stress and the symptoms that accompany stress. It is common to focus on the negative aspects of one’s life. But this only creates room for greater stress, which can bring about many other issues, including feelings of anxiety and depressive symptoms. By taking time to be outside in nature, individuals are giving themselves a dose of a “natural antidepressant”, as they are opening themselves up to feelings of awe.
Now all this information is great and really nice to know, but what if we don’t have time to spend a whole week backpacking in the remote wilderness? The good news is that feelings of awe are readily available to us if we are willing to put in a bit of personal work. The key is to get outside and allow yourself to be aware of your surroundings. As a result, meditative practices and mindfulness exercises can be extremely beneficial in helping you learn how to focus your thoughts on your environment and to be aware of the many sensations you might experience. This means that it is necessary for us to unplug from our devices. As hard as it might be to go on a walk without a pair of headphones playing music or to sit on a park bench without looking at your phone, disconnecting yourself from your devices and connecting yourself with nature allows you to be fully present wherever you are.
Perhaps one of the best parts of these experiences with awe is that they do not have to take much time or money. Especially in our hustle-and-bustle western society, it is not uncommon to meet individuals who claim that they do not have enough time in the day. We all have times when we feel that there is simply too much to do and not enough time to do it. As a result, this stress puts us in a position where we are more likely to experience negative side effects, including stress, sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, and putting off important things like going to the doctor, all because we feel that we do not have enough time (Rudd et. al., 2012). Research has shown that having moments of awe on a regular basis can cause people to feel that their time has been expanded, and they have a greater desire to use that time to reach out to others and offer assistance if they are struggling (Rudd et. al., 2012). Along with this, awe was shown to cause people to slow down and savor the experience they are currently in, leading them to feel greater amounts of joy and life satisfaction (Rudd et. al., 2012). In addition, feelings of awe can promote a desire to help others. In a study conducted by Pizarro et. al. (2021), it was found that those who had these transcendent experiences had an increased “sense of identification with humanity” and a greater “willingness [to] help others.”
My experiences with awe have come most often when I’m totally immersed in nature. Like I’ve said before, this does not necessarily mean that these experiences came when I was in the depths of the wilderness. They have come when I have unplugged myself from things that are more profane or mundane. One experience in particular came when I was in high school, and my dad and I chose to take a day to go explore Yosemite National Park, which is near our home. There was a layer of fresh snow over the whole park, and we found that we were alone on trails that were typically overflowing with people. We walked the short, icy paths up to the various waterfalls, soaking in the quiet and the beauty that was around us. I felt a connection to the natural environment around me like I had never experienced before. As I left that experience, I felt a desire to seek out quieter places. I craved this feeling, and I wanted to feel it again.
“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection”
References
Bingham, J. B. (2021). In Awe: The Astonishing Goodness of God. BYU Speeches. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/john-b-bingham/in-awe-the-astonishing-goodness-of-god/
Liu, J., Huo, Y., Wang, J., Bai, Y., Zhao, M., & Di, M. (2023). Awe of nature and well-being: Roles of nature connectedness and powerlessness. Personality and Individual Differences, 201, 111946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111946
Rudd, M., Vohs, K. D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe expands people’s perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1130–1136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612438731
Pizarro, J. J., Basabe, N., Fernández, I., Carrera, P., Apodaca, P., Man Ging, C. I., Cusi, O., & Páez, D. (2021). Self-transcendent emotions and their social effects: Awe, elevation and Kama Muta promote a human identification and motivations to help others. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.709859