This feature is part of Mindstream’s participation in the Wellness Moonshot, an awareness campaign for a world free of preventable disease that’s led by The Global Wellness Institute. View our full package for the February 2021 theme of WONDER, full of research and reflections.
By Mindstream community
WE ASKED
How can we tap into WONDER for higher wellness?
YOU ANSWERED
Appreciate rather than judge
Wonder is a curious awe that helps us see things in perspective, without judgement. It opens our hearts and minds to the infinite possibilities that surround us every day, that we may take for granted otherwise. In this mindset we deeply appreciate the world around us without trying to change it.
-Cat Kemble, maker at Dolly Sheep Luxury Living, England
Witness as if for the first time
If we spy the world through the eyes of our inner child, we will start to awaken the curious little imp inside. Marvel at how those stones arrived on a beach, ponder why clouds float silently in the sky and feel how exciting it is when the hamster wakes up! Giving it full body presence and “feels” — rather than a snatched eye from your phone — will snap you out of your reverie and then…only then, will you start to really see!
-Donna Easton, creative play programmer at My Life Shines, England
Wonder brings possibility
Having a sense of wonder for me comes from creativity, being open to getting creative and finding those happy, hopeful words that lift the heart and elevate the mind and spirit. Having a sense of wonder is essential as a writer and creator; it can take you to some gorgeous magical places, and I love taking people there through my writing. I would encourage anyone to look into the creative side of life. Once you start, your mind opens up into this really beautiful place, where everyday things become part of your story, part of a moment, and part of that word we call wonder.
-Mandy Dineley, creative writer at My Beautiful Pen, England
Live consciously
When we wake up every day with a sense of wonder we see everything through fresh eyes. The sky looks different, our work seems less tiresome, our minds feel alive. Wonder is the key to wellbeing as it turns mindless living into mindful living every single day.
-Bex Spiller, teacher at The Anti-Burnout Club, England
Wonder displaces negativity
Nurturing a sense of wonder is vital to humanity’s wellbeing. Wonder is an enhanced state of being in the present, of fully absorbing and marvelling at this moment in time. It is impossible to be filled with wonder and be in any kind of a negative state. And letting the sheer awe of what you are witnessing wash over you — whether it’s a spider’s web or the Grand Canyon — connects you to a powerful moment of expansion. We can tap into it at any moment of the day, simply by stopping our daily distractions and fully opening up to the realisation of how magical life is. A good place to start is the sky, stretching off into space and eternity; how mind-blowing is that?! Curiosity invokes wonder too, exploring how and why things come to be. And it is inextricably linked with the core of our creativity, which is allowed to flow freely when we are in a state of wonder. Wonder is awe and joy and appreciation and without it, you are not fully experiencing the immense beauty that life has to offer.
-Alison Reddihough, writer of personalised books at Tickled Moon, England
To wonder is to be present
Wondering is a holy practice. There’s magic, humility and reverence in it. If we are not curious, moved or inspired by experiences, are we truly living — or just going through the motions? Just as it takes confidence to be vulnerable, it takes self-esteem to be filled with wonder. It says, “I don’t fully understand this, but I appreciate its power to affect me,” and “I am open to possibility.” When something inspires us to marvel, it’s a raw feeling that often comes as a surprise. Yet it can move from heart to head as we seek to understand the how or why of it. I am often in a state of wonder, curious to understand how things work — the physical and the metaphysical. Continue reading
-Liza Horan, Editor of Mindstream
#wellnessmoonshot #wonder
Learn more about The Wellness Moonshot on GlobalWellnessInstitute.com.
Comments