The Benefits of Savoring

October 24, 2024

I took myself on a walk up Stone Creek in the Grand Canyon. It was day ten of our 17-day trip down the Colorado River, and I was feeling reflective. I snuck away, walking upstream along the beach through the cobbley debris flow. I turned left to follow a trickling stream into the side canyon until I arrived at the base of Stone Creek Falls.

It is a cool desert oasis: lush and green. The red rock walls are dripping with ferns and moss, and mist floats refreshingly on the air. I found a spot to sit and lean against the wall, soaking up the calm verdant refuge. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, listening to the waterfall drum a steady, assuring beat. 

As I sat still, my mind began to catalog the trip thus far. I smiled as I thought back on the restless anticipation I felt as I drove to Lee’s Ferry, the put-in for our Grand adventure. I remembered how anxious I was to start. I recalled my thumping heart at the scout for House Rock Rapid, the first large rapid on this stretch of river. I relived the feeling of elation as I sailed through the massive tail waves, getting walloped by water crashing over the bow of my boat, giggling all the way.

I thought about how just a few days ago, I didn’t know any of the people I was traveling with, but in a few short hours, we would be banding together to pull off an impromptu surprise party for Ted’s birthday. I reveled in the feeling of gratitude: for the strength of my body, for the grandeur of this canyon, for the people I was becoming friends with.

I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. My heart rate was calm, and I hadn’t felt anxious in many, many days. I took a moment to really feel the peace and the calmness. I couldn’t control the smile creeping across my face as I recognized just how happy, thrilled, and joyful I’d felt over the last ten days. 

I don’t always feel so stress-free. In fact, I had been struggling to return to a place of peace for a while. Like many people, I thought perhaps happiness was on the other side of less stress. I thought perhaps when I had a higher paying job, or completed my Master’s degree, then I would be happy. But it turns out, happiness isn’t as dependent on external factors as I thought. 

What is Savoring?

According to Yale Professor of Psychology, Dr. Laurie Santos, there’s a lot we can do to seek out and actually cultivate happiness in our lives. A good amount of our happiness comes from things we can control: our behaviors, attitudes, and mindsets. 

Dr. Santos explains human brains are really good at remembering the bad things, and as humans, we tend to dwell more on the negative than the positive. Fortunately for us, there’s a strategy we can employ to thwart that tendency. It’s called savoring. And the great news is: It’s pretty simple!

Dr. Santos, who teaches “Psychology and The Good Life”, Yale’s most popular class says, “[Savoring is] the simple act of stepping out of your experience to review it and really appreciate it while it’s happening.” Savoring is the practice of noticing and appreciating the positive aspects of our lives to intensify those positive feelings.

As I sat in the quiet waterfall cove at Stone Creek, I could have thought about house projects I needed to complete when I got home or emails that needed sending sometime soon for work. I could have thought about the bad weather in the forecast or about whether or not the group was getting along. But I honestly didn’t have the brain space to overthink, ruminate or worry like I normally do. According to scientists, that is how savoring works.

Savoring multiplies the joy in our lives partly because it lessens the space our brains have to think about, replay, or analyze negative thoughts and experiences. It actively amplifies positive, fun, and joyful feelings. It turns out that thinking about and reliving moments of gratitude and serenity helps us to feel more grateful and serene.

The Innumerable Benefits 

The benefits don’t stop there. Feeling positive emotions is linked to better sleep, strengthened immune systems, and even increased creativity! Research shows those who experience positive emotions regularly are more resilient and resourceful.

Back at Stone, I decided to explore some more. I backtracked downstream a little before turning to scramble up a cliff onto a trail which took me high above the falls. I looked down at where I just was; suddenly the red and green looked even brighter as they contrasted with the darker rock around it. I kept walking to the valley above the waterfall. It opened wide. The bright blue sky illuminated the thriving sedges along the creek.

I felt giddy as I started to explore. I wandered in and out of the creek as I meandered upstream. I spent time looking at the greenery, watching the sun glisten off the splashing water in the creek. I noticed animal tracks in the sand and ogled all the diverse rock formations. “This is so cool!” I kept thinking to myself. “I can’t believe how pretty this canyon is,” I kept murmuring in disbelief. I felt grateful and excited knowing there were so many more side canyons downstream to explore.

Three Ways to Savor

I didn’t know it at the time, but I had practiced all three types of savoring on my Grand Canyon river trip, and it wasn’t even over yet. The first type of savoring is anticipatory savoring. It is the act of looking forward to something positive in the future. Research shows that even just planning a vacation can increase happiness because your brain is spending time thinking about something joyful and exciting. Researching which river stretch is right for your family, looking at pictures, or watching videos about raft trips are all forms of anticipatory savoring.

Even after you book the trip, there are benefits. Talking to your kids about the upcoming trip, or telling your friends and neighbors what you’re about to do gives voice to the excitement as you imagine and anticipate the adventure ahead.

Experiential savoring is savoring that happens in the moment. When you pull back from an experience to recognize or verbalize the beauty, wonder, or excitement, it emphasizes each of those things. This mindfulness practice helps to quiet the noise and distills positive emotions and appreciation. This type of savoring requires us to be present in the moment and recognize the good as it is happening.

Reminiscent savoring is all about remembering the positive emotions and happy memories after the fact. When you pull up pictures on your phone or spend time thinking about what you experienced, you’re still reaping the benefits of savoring. You’re reliving your happiness when you flip through your photo album, when you tell stories around the dinner table, or chat with a friend after the trip. 

Savor on the River

Like anything, we can become better at it with practice, and the same is true for savoring. The more we practice, the more immersive and effective our savoring becomes at cultivating happiness in our lives. The positive emotions become more abundant. Savoring can happen with everyday events: holding a steaming cup of coffee in the morning, hitting your stride with a building project, or picking produce from your garden.

But it’s hard to deny what an ideal practice field nature is. It’s the perfect place to jumpstart your savoring journey. And a river trip is filled with gorgeous canyon walls, inviting sandy beaches, adrenaline-filled whitewater rapids; camp chairs, toes in the water, the Milky Way, and shooting stars. It’s impossible to be on a river trip and not anticipate the fun. You can’t go on a raft trip and not feel both exhilaration and relaxation. Nor can you leave a trip and not have stories to tell your friends, or photos to look back on with fondness. 

So if you’re feeling stressed, I hope you find your way to the river. I hope you ride the tail waves with glee. I hope you dig your feet in the sand and stare at the clouds, mesmerized. I hope you laugh with your family and friends. I hope you print out your favorite photo from the trip and tape it up next to your computer or onto your dashboard. And I hope you keep telling the stories of your adventures for years to come. Savor it all!

From Boise, Idaho, Jasmine Wilhelm has guided on the remote Salmon River system for a decade. She spends her off-season adventuring, freelance writing, and reading voraciously. Follow her writing on Instagram @jasminewilhelm20.8