Page 21 - Buzz Magazine - Issue No 2 Winter 2021 | University of Rochester

I also love the concept of “awe walks”—walking Finally, silence and stillness are really where the
outside with a fresh perspective and noticing work begins. Simply sitting with your gratitude,
things that inspire gratitude. There have been and thinking of your loved ones, especially at
initial studies that show that such walks help a time when we can’t necessarily be with the
people become more upbeat and hopeful. people we love, can be very meaningful. It
There's a New York Times piece (read it at removes noise and distractions so we focus on
uofr.us/AweWalk) that describes one such what we really care about. As a result, we might
study, noting that "the awe walkers felt happier, make different choices, make that phone call, or
less upset and more socially connected than reach out to others. When we pay attention, our
the men and women in the control group." values and behaviors start to align.

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