Do you ever notice yourself feeling distracted while relaxing with friends, unable to fully enjoy yourself? Or if you get a good grade, do you ever brush it off and move onto the next task without relishing your success? Our society has become increasingly future-minded and less focused on the present. As college students who are striving towards future accomplishments, it is sometimes difficult for us to stop and fully appreciate the present moment.
Savoring is defined by Fred B. Bryant as both the awareness of pleasure and deliberate conscious attention to the experience of pleasure. This is easier for some people to do than others. Luckily, there are ways to get better at savoring the pleasures in your daily life. In his book “Authentic Happiness,” Martin E.P Seligman describes five techniques that have been proven to promote savoring in college students:
Sharing with others: Seek out others to share the moment with and tell them how much you value what is happening. Research shows that this is the strongest predictor of the level of pleasure during a given moment.
Memory building: Take a mental picture of a beautiful day at the beach, or bring back a physical souvenir to remind you of how you felt at that moment. Make a scrapbook of a fun trip in order to relive your experiences.
Self-congratulation: I’m great! I deserve this! When you reach your goals, allow yourself to feel proud.
Sharpening perceptions: Focus on certain things and block out distractions. Close your eyes as you take a bite of dessert. Focus on the taste and let it linger.
Absorption: Don’t think, just sense. Don’t worry about the homework you should be doing or other ways you could be spending your time. Become immersed in that moment, and just be.
The main message that I take from this advice is to stop worrying about the future (it isn’t here yet … so what’s the point?) and enjoy right now. Pay attention to moments of pleasure in your life, and allow yourself to become immersed in things that make you happy. It seems so simple, but just try it — you may be surprised by how much happiness you can find in the present moment.
