Twenty years ago, I was driving on the M3 motorway when such a song came on the radio. I was immediately spellbound by the combination of the singer’s voice, the lyrics, and the unusual syncopation. I had to pull over on the hard shoulder to give it my full attention.

The song aroused such intense emotions in me that I could not explain then or now. I was desperate to hear it again, but I never heard the name of the song or the singer. I had a few clues: I knew that water featured in the song and that it might be South American in origin.

It took me another eight years to hear that song again. Strangely, I had to travel to Bhutan to discover its name and singer. The connection? Spending time with a wonderful group of Brazilian people. When I asked if they knew of any songs about water, they immediately responded, “Oh, do you mean Águas de Março (The Waters of March)?”

Yes, yes, yes! I recognised it immediately. The Spanish lyrics were in fact Portuguese, and the origin of the song and singer were Brazilian.

This song is so precious to me. I really don’t know why, but something about it resonates with something I find truly profound. In 2019, I had an operation to treat bowel cancer and spent several weeks in the hospital. During that time, I held in mind the thought of being in my own house and able to listen to this song and it was the first thing I did when I got home. I only listened once and something felt complete. It always makes me cry with an emotion I have no word for, but it is not sadness or happiness. Maybe it is ‘the joy in your heart’? and maybe it really doesn’t need a name.

Today, I feel like sharing this song with anyone who cares to have read this far. Maybe you can tell what, if anything, it speaks to you. I am grateful to Tatevik Vasilyan for the images he put together in this music video.

I hope you enjoy Águas de Março as much as I do.

THE WATERS OF MARCH

A stick a stone, it’s the end of the road, it’s the rest of the stump, it’s a little alone it’s a sliver of glass, it is life, it’s the sun, it is night ,it is death, it’s a trap, it’s a gun.

The oak when it blooms, a fox in the brush, the knot in the wood, the song of the thrush. the wood of the wind, a cliff, a fall, a scratch, a lump, it is nothing at all.

It’s the wind blowing free. it’s the end of a slope. it’s a beam, it’s a void, it’s a hunch, it’s a hope. and the riverbank talks of the water of march. it’s the end of the strain, it’s the joy in your heart.

The foot, the ground, the flesh, the bone, the beat of the road, a slingshot stone. a fish, a flash, a silvery glow, a fight, a bet, the range of the bow.

The bed of the well, the end of the line, the dismay in the face, it’s a loss, it’s a find. a spear, a spike, a point, a nail, a drip, a drop, the end of the tale.

A truckload of bricks in the soft morning light, the shot of a gun, in the dead of the night. a mile, a must, a thrust, a bump. it’s a girl, it’s a rhyme, it’s the cold, it’s the mumps.

The plan of the house, the body in bed, the car that got stuck, it’s the mud, it’s the mud. a float, a drift, a flight, a wing, a hawk, a quail, the promise of spring.

And the riverbanks talks of the waters of march. it’s the promise of life, it’s the joy in your heart.

A snake, a stick, it is john, it is joe, it’s a thorn in your hand, and a cut on your toe. a point, a grain, a bee, a bite, a blink, a buzzard, the sudden stroke of night. a pin, a needle, a sting, a pain, a snail, a riddle, a weep, a stain.

A pass in the mountains. a horse, a mule, in the distance the shelves rode three shadows of blue. and the riverbanks talks of the waters of march. it’s the promise of life in your heart, in your heart.

A stick, a stone, the end of the load, the rest of the stump, a lonesome road. a sliver of glass, a life, the sun, a night, a death, the end of the run. and the riverbank talks of the waters of march. it’s the end of all strain it’s the joy in your heart.

A SEMblance of thoughts – these are my musings on topics, themes and questions that occur during my participation on the MA of Spirituality, Ecology & Mental Health at Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe, UK. I appreciate any (polite!) views you might wish to share.

The post The Song That Transported Me appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

An awe walk is where you take a walk in nature with the conscious intention to have an awe-inspiring experience. Before we look at the process of completing an awe walk and the related benefits, let’s gain a better understanding of what awe is.

Positive Emotion

Awe is one of the ten positive emotions identified by Barbara Fredrickson and she says we experience awe when we come across goodness on a grand scale and this makes us feel small and humble. This can be from witnessing acts of humanity such as the work of Mother Teresa and the kindness shown by many, after unexpected disasters. It can also come from seeing the beauty of nature such as witnessing a stunning sunset, a great waterfall or as in my recent case, looking down on a rainbow.

Earlier this year. I was driving through the countryside and arrived at the top of a steep hill and noticed this amazing rainbow (see picture above) behind me and below me, yes below me! I was looking down on a rainbow. I jumped out of the car and stood transfixed, at first unable to take in what I was seeing. I felt that I was witnessing something very special and rare, at least for my part of the world.

Cultivating Awe

That was a beautiful experience, but it’s not one I have every day, so how can we create more awe in our lives? This is where the awe walks come in. In a recent study described in The Psychologist, it was found that older adults who deliberately set their intention to seek out awe in their walks were more likely to experience it. The participants of this study who sought out awe reported less stress and more positive emotions including gratitude, compassion and joy when compared to a control group. From my previous articles, you will know that positive emotions not only make us feel better in the moment, they also act as a buffer and protect us in times of future stress.

Selfless Selfies

Another finding that amazed me was that the participants were asked to take pictures of themselves while on their walks and it was found that those people who had set their intention to seek out awe actually included more background and less of themselves in the pictures than the control group. This suggests that those people were in fact feeling small, yet a part of something on a grand scale and wanted to capture that grandness.

Seek Out Awe

I believe that we need the health-boosting benefits of positive emotions such as awe even more than usual to keep us mentally strong during the winter months. As the days are shorter, we may have to search harder for awe-inspiring experiences. However, that conscious deliberate effort can focus our mind and help us to stay in the moment, noticing things that we may otherwise have missed, such as a snowdrop pushing itself up and out into the open, or the pattern ice makes at the edge of a puddle.

Give awe walks a go. I’m definitely going to and I’d love to hear how you get on.

References:

Fredrickson, B. (2011). Positivity. Oxford: Oneworld Publications

Young, E. (2020). ‘Awe walks’ can boost positive emotions among older adults. The Psychologist, December.

Read more about Bryony Shaw and her other articles HERE

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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On reflection now I did have a tiny suspicion I might enjoy it as I know one of my highest VIA Character Strengths is appreciation of beauty and excellence (it comes up as my second highest strength and is equal with love of learning). I know I have always deeply appreciated beauty in nature, I spend a lot of time looking at sunrises, sunsets and the moon. Being outside in nature, particularly around mountains or water, always calms whatever is bubbling away inside me. I have lived in the countryside for years and am lucky enough to have easy access to views of rolling fields whenever I want to feel the wonder and awe, I know it will inspire in me.

Positive Emotions

Awe is described by Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson in her book Positivity as one of 10 forms of positive emotions. Fredrickson suggests that by regularly practicing noticing and feeling each of the following emotions one’s health and well-being can be vastly improved. Considering a trip to an art exhibition lifted my mood for days I spent some time thinking about how positive emotions show up for me on a day to day basis and came up with the below list:

1. Joy – I feel joy in the moments everything seems to be going well, the fist pump ‘YES’ moments in my day, when I become aware that warm memories are being made, or when listening to an uplifting piece of music (usually whilst kitchen dancing)

2. Gratitude – I consciously create moments to be grateful for the things I have, these are the moments I gain perspective on my worries compared to the struggles other people are going through

3. Serenity – for me this is a feeling of being at peace with the world, when I am on early morning walks with my dog or looking at birds flying in the sky

4. Interest – taking interest in the world through learning something new is easy for me due to my love of learning, whether that is learning a new skill or acquiring new knowledge (about anything and everything!)

5. Hope – I regularly feel hope for the future. On good days and bad days remembering that everything is temporary allows hope to shine through

6. Pride – this one is hard for me, too often I achieve something and move straight on to the next goal without a thought, I’m trying to pause and feel proud of all of my achievements

7. Amusement – I create amusement through watching a favourite comedy or remembering random moments of laughter with my daughters (usually when one of our pets does something stupid), laughter is a great mood enhancer for me

8. Inspiration – I love finding out about what other people have achieved in their lives, I gain the most inspiration from people who have faced challenges in their life and gone on to achieve their own personal greatness anyway. Sometimes I get this from figures in history, other times it is in the present day. Their ‘greatness’ doesn’t actually need be anything big, if they’ve lived their lives to their potential whilst facing their own challenges it doesn’t matter how big or small the achievement was, I’m always inspired

9. Awe – this is the ‘wow’ feeling I get when I look at the sky, the moon and stars or a sunrise or sunset. I am loving the fact that I can now feel a sense of awe from art!

10. Love – to feel loved by, and love for others, both humans and animals. I am also working on feeling more love for myself (something I’m not great at yet)

Openness to Change

Writing the above list shows me how much I tend to overlook positive emotions in my day and focus more on problems. The fact that my normal appreciation of the natural world could also apply to man-made art and instil the same feelings of wonder, happiness and peace inside me is hugely exciting and interesting. This led me to question what other opportunities I have available that I’m not making the most of? What else I could open myself up to in order to bring greater moments of positivity in my daily life? And how do I make this change?

A Toolkit for Self-Change

James O. Prochaska, one of the creators of the Trans-theoretical Model of Behaviour Change, suggests that through reflecting on the ways the 10 positive emotions have appeared in your day, and subsequently adjusting focus as necessary for the following day, we are able to allow room for any missing positive emotions and have the ability to decrease the negativity that can get in the way of self-change. I am still learning to change my old habit of ‘forgetting to live’ and maybe this idea is another trick to have in my toolbox to help. By implementing a mindfulness focus on feeling all 10 positive emotions in my day I will be living life as it happens instead of staying trapped in my head overthinking.  And so, as from today I am committed to making a conscious effort to reflect every night on how I’ve experienced the 10 positive emotions during the day.

What ways do you experience these positive emotions in your day? Let me know in the comments below.

About the Author: Emma Willmer

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The post Learning to Live – Using Positive Emotions for Self-Change appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.