Last week, I returned to Boracay island for vacation. Last time I was there, it was still the “old” Boracay. I would say that the place is much better now. The 6-month shutdown and rehabilitation is worth it. The beachfront is less cluttered with stalls. The main highway is well-paved with adequate loading and unloading areas.
It may sound funny, but in my entire stay in Boracay I did not dip in the sea or swimming pool. What I did was take a stroll along the beach from station 1 to station 3 to appreciate the island’s natural beauty. The white sand and crystal-clear waters are indeed a sight to behold. This “awe” walk refreshed and invigorated me. Nature takes us closer to God, the Creator, who made everything beautiful.
Being awed, according to reserach, is good for our emotional and mental health. “Awe” is defined as an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like. We see ourselves as small, compared to the larger world and universe. We are humbled and made conscious of our human limitations.
Regularly experiencing awe, even with a simple walk, helps increase compassion and gratitude, and other “prosocial” emotions, according to a study done in 2020 and published in the journal Emotion. It found that older adults who took 15-minute “awe walks” for eight weeks said they felt more positive emotions and less distress in their daily lives.
The researchers made the study because they were interested in finding simple ways to increase positive emotions and brain health in older adults. Sustained negative emotions can have detrimental effects on brain health and aging trajectories,” said lead researcher Virginia Sturm, PhD, an associate professor of neurology and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. “Awe is a positive emotion that leads to feelings of social connection, which often decline in later life, so we decided to see if we could increase experiences of awe in order to elevate positive emotional experience and especially emotions that connect us with others”, she added.
An article in the website greatergood.berkeley.edu, listed several benefits of being “awed”. It may decrease materialism because the experience of awe elevates people from their mundane concerns, which are bounded by daily experiences such as the desire for money. Awe can also make you feel like you have more time. It can even make you more generous and cooperative. Awe can make you feel more connected to other people and humanity.
Some studies also suggest that awe may be able to sharpen our brains. This is probably the reason why composers, poets and writers immerse in nature when doing their work.
If you’re burned out, feeling down and depressed, take an “awe” walk. Watch the beautiful sunset. Hike in the woods and hug the trees. Listen to the birds. Watch the flickers of light of fireflies. Smell the flowers. Gaze at the stars. Finally, don’t forget to thank and praise God. He speaks to us through his marvelous creation.