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Savouring

Savour

When we have positive experiences there are some things that we can do to really get the most out of them. This is called savouring.

Savouring is:

u0022The capacity to attend to, appreciate and enhance the positive experiences in one's life.u0022

(Bryan and Veroff, 2007)

Savouring Strategies

There are many ways that we can do this and the wider the range of savouring strategies that are used the happier individuals are reported to be (Quidbach et al, 2010). Using a greater variety of savouring strategies can facilitate the regulation of positive experiences in a broader range of situations.

Behavioural Display

Showing the positive emotion, expressing positive emotions with non-verbal behaviours.

Being Present

Deliberately directing attention to the present pleasant experiences, focusing on a specific feeling, counting your blessings and being completely absorbed in the moment. This is similar to mindfulness practices and having a heightened awareness of the present moment, appreciating the thoughts and feelings related to it.

Capitalising

Communicating, sharing and celebrating the positive events with others and congratulating yourself.

Positive Mental Time Travel

Vividly remembering or anticipating positive events, memory building by purposefully trying to remember the positive event and taking mental pictures.

Discover More:

You might like to keep a record of things you have savoured. To find out more use the pdf below. There is also an alternative version below that contains the same information.

Savouring.pdf (220.56kB)