Making Space In Your Life for Awe and Wonder

By Christine Murray

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to travel with my older son on a cruise to the Norwegian fjords. It was an incredible time with him, and I was constantly in awe of the beautiful scenery, both from land and sea.

I had some sense of how beautiful this part of the world might be because I had been following the Visit Norway Instagram page since we planned our trip. Leading up to the trip, I couldn't wait to see such amazing landscapes with my own eyes. Even though I anticipated the beauty that I would see, the reality was even more than I envisioned it would be.

While we were in Norway, there were moments that literally took my breath away because of just how beautiful it was. Below are a couple of pictures so you can see a glimpse of what we saw:

As a working mom, life is pretty busy. I’m certain that I often miss far too many moments of awe and wonder in my day-to-day life. The experience of seeing the awe-inspiring views of the fjords in Norway was a powerful reminder of how important the emotions of awe and wonder are as part of our overall mental and emotional health.

I believe that awe and wonder can contribute to our emotional and mental health in many ways. For one, they help to expand our horizons. Being in a moment of awe and wonder often means being fully present and experiencing life as it is. Additionally, awe and wonder can foster a sense of gratitude and appreciation, which are known to improve quality of life and emotional well-being.

Awe and wonder also are part of the full range of human emotions that we can experience in life, and part of emotional health involves understanding and experiencing all the many layers of emotional responses available to us.

Reflecting on my experiences traveling to the Norwegian fjords was a powerful reminder of the importance of making space and being intentional about seeking out awe and wonder in our lives. 

While it's one thing to experience awe and wonder during significant life events like a big trip, we can also find these emotions in our day-to-day lives. For example, we might feel awe and wonder when we think about things like a beautiful relationship in our life, some of the big and small blessings in our lives, and even how far we've come in life and the opportunities ahead.

Unfortunately, many barriers can prevent us from experiencing awe and wonder in both big and small ways. Here are a few common barriers:

1. Distraction: If I had been focused on my phone or laptop instead of looking around me at the fjords, I would have missed the beauty right in front of me.
2. Over-Reliance on Routines: While routines can be positive, being overly tied to them can prevent us from noticing opportunities for awe and wonder.
3. Over-Scheduling: If our schedules are too busy, we lack the margin to notice and appreciate awe-inspiring moments.
4. Exhaustion: Being tired and burned out can deplete our energy, making it difficult to recognize or seek out awe and wonder.
5. Lack of Intentionality: We need to be intentional about looking for awe and wonder. If we’re not actively seeking it, we may miss awe-inspiring moments altogether.

I invite you to seek out moments of awe and wonder throughout the coming week. For example, reflect on accomplishments you’re proud of, other things you're grateful for, and even complex processes of life that we normally don’t even pay attention to, like breathing or the beating of your heart. If possible, you might even take this challenge even further by placing yourself in an environment or situation that’s filled with natural beauty, such as hiking to a mountain top, visiting a beautiful flower garden, or cooking a delicious meal.

If you're up for this challenge, consider keeping a list of awe-inspiring moments you encounter throughout the week ahead (and perhaps even beyond). In the comment below, I’d love to hear your feedback about a recent moment that inspired awe in your life, as well as your thoughts on how awe and wonder contribute to our mental and emotional health.