Everyday life doesn't always inspire awe, especially in the office, but research shows a regular burst of it has tangible effects on our health and wellbeing. By Jess Stuart
I was struggling to sleep this week, I blame a busy brain. In the middle of the night I wandered outside to get some fresh coastal air and avoid waking my wife when I looked up at the stars. It was a clear night above Waiheke, cold but so beautiful. I could see the Milky Way and a few shooting stars danced across the sky. I was in awe and by the time I was back in bed, my head hitting the pillow, I’d forgotten all about whatever it was that had kept me awake.
I think sometimes there’s a sense that to beat burnout or regain work life balance we need to go on a retreat, vacation in the sun or implement a four-day week. While all those options may help, I think it can also be a lot simpler than that.
So often the antidote we look for to work pressure is rest and, while I believe most of us need more of that, there’s something else we’ve been missing.
What is awe and why is it important?
Career coach Jess Stuart said feeling a sense of awe can lift your mood and calm a busy brain. (Source: Breakfast)
Awe is the feeling we get when we encounter something vast, mind-expanding, or beyond our current understanding. Like a breathtaking view of nature, a moving piece of music, or witnessing someone’s act of courage or kindness.
In the wellness scene, there’s a growing understanding of the importance of awe, and what I love about it is that it’s simple. It doesn’t require a habit hack, an app, a membership or for us to schedule anything in our diary. It’s doable and it’s having an impact.
In his book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, American psychology professor Dacher Keltner found that people experience awe via eight different categories and as many as two to three times each week. Even brief experiences of awe (watching a nature video, looking up at the stars, listening to a powerful poem) can improve health and mood.
Several studies have examined the impact of awe on our bodies. One study demonstrated awe can reduce daily stress levels and increase life satisfaction.
Others have found awe decreases blood pressure, cortisol, and inflammation, and soothes the fight-or-flight reaction of our central nervous systems.
Work might not be that awe-some
Despite its importance, it can be hard to find awe at work (unless, say, you’ve got puppies in the office or a colleague brings their newborn in to visit).
The way our stuffy offices are set up, our busy working schedules, the colleagues we may have to endure or the pressure our boss puts on us to deliver. The constant change and uncertainty against a backdrop of doing more with less.
None of this is a recipe for awe and that’s why I suggest finding awe to inject into our work day in a bid to offset all the other stuff that might not be as awe inspiring.
How awe supports work-life balance
I love my work and I get to be very flexible (given I’m my own boss), however it’s still easy to get stuck in my own head, to get frustrated with my lack of progress or simply procrastinate on many things other than what I should be doing.
I find awe helps me slow down, reconnect to what matters and gives me perspective when I’m feeling overwhelmed about small work stresses. Whether it’s the stars on a clear night or the sunrise over the ocean. It might be the way the sunlight falls through the trees in the garden or watching my dog as she sleeps.
Feeling awe can feel like pushing a reset button in an always-on world. Slowing us down and helping me reconnect with what matters.
Awe shrinks our stressors too, by giving us the perspective that connecting to something larger than ourselves brings. A moment of awe and our problems often feel more manageable and less significant.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including wintry blast on the way, Gloriavale leader in court, and Liam Lawson picks up points. (Source: Breakfast)
Inject some awe into your every day
As I say, awe isn’t something you have to sign up for or learn to achieve. It’s available to all of us all the time, so why not take the awe challenge today and see how it impacts your sense of work/life balance and wellbeing?
Eight easy ways to add awe to the everyday
- Set your alarm, just so you can watch the sun rise.
- As you drive or otherwise commute to work, don’t listen to your usual news or chatty podcast, listen to a piece of music that gives you goosebumps.
- Pop out at lunch time and visit a gallery, sculpture park, public garden or, if you’re lucky enough to have it handy, a beach with crashing waves. Observe how these things make you feel.
- Next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling, switch to watching a dance or orchestral performance.
- At night, instead of watching Netflix, read poetry or writing that stirs something deep.
- Watch a documentary or read a book about space, deep ocean life, human potential, a mind-blowing scientific discovery, an ancient civilisation, or a story of people overcoming incredible odds.
- Look through a microscope or telescope – or find some way to appreciate either the enormity or minute intricacy of life (a garden is good for the latter).
- Take a moment to notice and practise gratitude for one ordinary, beautiful thing you experience each day: a hot shower, a delicious cup of coffee, a crisp apple.
Awe doesn’t just feel good, it recalibrates our nervous system, renews our focus, and reconnects us with what really matters. For anyone chasing balance in a world of busy, awe is a powerful and underused tool. Finding the awe in the everyday might just be the best-kept secret to balance and wellbeing.
With a background in HR, Jess Stuart is now a Waiheke-based career coach and the author of several books including: Burnout to Brilliance and I Love Mondays.
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