Fuel your Day with Savoring: The “Catching Joy” Practice

If you feel like your emotional 'gas tank' is running empty, this episode is for you. We're diving into savoring - an intentional, evidence-based skill for actively amplifying the joy and positive feelings that are already there. 

We'll share the Catching Joy practice, showing you how to capture that positive energy and use it for renewal.

Is there a way to make positive moments count more? Yes! 

This episode focuses on savoring: the active, intentional effort to prolong and intensify positive feelings. We discuss the science showing how this simple skill directly counteracts compassion fatigue by building your emotional 'reservoir' for well-being. 

You'll learn:

• The difference between savoring, mindfulness, and gratitude.
• The step-by-step Catching Joy practice for maximizing present enjoyment.
• How to use reminiscing (savoring the past) as a powerful tool to draw strength and confidence.

Learn how to actively amplify the positive connections and small victories that fuel your vital work in the Military Family Readiness System.

Further links and resources from this episode:

• Yale’s Science of Well-Being Class on Coursera
• Join our LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12879756/ 
• Send us a message: practicingconnection@oneop.org 

Transcript

CORAL OWEN: [00:00:00] Hey there. Thanks so much for tuning into the Practicing Connection Podcast. I'm Coral, and today's episode is all about a simple, yet profound strategy for wellbeing. Savoring. My co-host Jessica is here to guide us. Hey Jess. How are you feeling today?

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Hey, Coral. I'm actually feeling really focused and present today, which is a perfect mindset for this topic. I was kind of just enjoying my second cup of coffee and paying attention to the warmth of the mug. Especially since it's been getting colder out now, and also enjoying the rich smell.

And so sort of like a little moment of savoring before we started. And of course once I start digging into something, I start practicing it like crazy. And so that was a little mini savoring practice that I did.

CORAL OWEN: I love that. I feel like that's really a common experience for coffee lovers and tea lovers of course, too. And it really does highlight how these moments are all around us, even in the most seemingly [00:01:00] mundane day-to-day experiences.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, exactly. And we'd also love to hear from you, how have you added moments of savory into your life? You can share your thoughts with us at practicingconnection@oneop.org.

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CORAL OWEN: All righty. So before we dive into today's practice, Jessica, can you tell us a little bit more about what inspired you to focus on savoring and how it relates to our work supporting families?

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Absolutely. My inspiration for this came from an unexpected place, taking Yale's Free Science of Wellbeing class. I don't know if you've ever heard of that, but I took it on Coursera a few years ago after reading about it, and savoring was actually one of the core modules. And I found it so powerful for grounding myself and for amplifying joy.

I often practiced it with small things, like really tasting a meal, and I think [00:02:00] foods are probably very natural, right? We think of savoring and we think of food a lot of times. That's a very natural way to practice it, but also just watching a gentle snowfall outside my window, or enjoying the pleasure my dog gets from a good scratch.

Like really paying attention in that moment, and just really amplifying that, and understanding that this is a good moment, right? 

And so the link to our work, within the Military Family Readiness System, is all about stress and burnout prevention. The work of supporting others can be tireless, often managing complex needs and systems. And the evidence shows that savoring is a powerful tool to interrupt the stress cycle. 

Studies consistently demonstrate that intentionally focusing on positive feelings and experiences or savoring them can increase our overall happiness, can boost positive emotions and even reduce the symptoms of depression.

So it shifts our focus from what's [00:03:00] overwhelming to what is enriching, even for just a few seconds.

CORAL OWEN: That is so interesting. It actually kind of sounds like a cousin to the concepts like mindfulness and gratitude, which I know many of our listeners may already be practicing. Can you clarify or kind of distinguish how savoring is different from these other concepts and practices?

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, I think that's an important distinction. And frankly, any one of these, doing any one of these things you mentioned like mindfulness, gratitude, I think are going to have the effect of boosting your positive emotions. These things can all also work together, but they are not necessarily the same.

So mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Whether the experience is neutral, positive or negative, it's about awareness. And then gratitude is the focus on the gifts, contributions, or good things that have been done for or given to us. Often looking at the source of a positive outcome.

It's kind [00:04:00] of, past or present focused usually. Awe, which we just talked about in an episode, is a specific emotion that recognizes vastness and the connections to the outside world. Like we will realize how small we are, but how connected we are to whatever it is that we're recognizing as vast.

And then savoring, on the other hand, is specifically about amplifying and prolonging positive emotional experiences. It's the intentional effort to keep the positive feeling going and to feel it more deeply. So if mindfulness is noticing the positive flavor of a piece of chocolate, savoring is making the flavor last and really feeling the enjoyment that comes with it.

It's about maximizing the good of the experience.

CORAL OWEN: I love that. That's also so helpful to have it broken down like that. Thank you. And it's so nice to have that concept and have it become [00:05:00] actionable. We'd spend so much time noticing problems that need fixing. I feel like savoring is sort of this deliberate practice of saying like, “Hold on, wait. This is good, and I'm gonna soak it up.” And it's like a simple tool for making these positive moments, no matter how small they are, really count. 

Alrighty, so here comes the practical bit. Jessica, can you walk us through step by step how someone can try this in their own life or even in their workday?

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, definitely. We're gonna try an activity that I'm currently calling “Catching Joy.” I've tried like three or four different names for this. I'm calling it catching joy right now. So this is a quick and easy practice you can do with almost anything. A sip of tea, a phone call that went really well, or even a moment of quiet between tasks.

So the first thing you're going to do: choose your moment. Just stop what you're doing for a moment and consciously pick something positive that's [00:06:00] happening right now. It can be tiny, like a ray of sun coming through the window, the successful completion of an email or the smell of your lunch. The key is to stop the autopilot and decide I'm going to pay attention to this moment of goodness.

CORAL OWEN: That pauses everything, isn't it? Just creating that space for the moment to simply exist.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah. Yeah, it really is. And so what that does then is in step two, because you've taken that pause and decided to pay attention to the moment, then you can engage all your senses. This is where the depth comes in. Don't just think about the moment. Experience it fully. If it's your cup of tea, then notice the smell, the temperature on your lips, the taste as it washes over your tongue.

If it's a positive interaction with a client or with a partner, notice the sound of their voice, the feeling of relief or [00:07:00] connection in your chest, and the sight of their thankfulness. Ask yourself, “What does my body notice right now?” 

Whatever it is that you've chosen to pay attention to, just ask, what does my body notice right now?

And then step three: internalize and label the feeling. So as you experience this with your senses, give the positive emotion a name. Are you feeling joy? Are you feeling contentment? How about satisfaction? Just silently say it to yourself: “I'm feeling a wave of deep satisfaction.” I know that contentment for me comes up a lot when I'm practicing this.

Naming the feeling helps your brain register it more powerfully as a positive memory and part of your experience. I mentioned earlier that one of the ways I've used this is just really savoring a gentle snowfall now. After I've done that a few times and really spent the time savoring it, I actually notice the gentle snowfall [00:08:00] more quickly now, and I'll stop for a moment and make sure that I savor those moments.

Alright, the last step: extend the experience. This is also called basking. Don't rush away. Hold the feeling for an extra five to 10 seconds before moving on. We're not talking about an inordinate amount of time here. Take a deep breath and deliberately allow the positive feeling to spread through your body.

Kind of like soaking up the sun, you know how the sun feels in the spring. The first time it starts getting a little warm and you go outside and you just put your face up to the sun. So soak up the feeling. By extending it, you help cement the positive memory and emotional response, making it easier to recall later.

CORAL OWEN: That four step catching joy practice, by the way, Jess, I love that name. It's just so simple and practical for the present moment. I was wondering, do you have an example of how the principle of savoring can also be used to draw strength from the past?[00:09:00]

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah. That's a really good question. I really actually struggled when I was looking for a practice I wanted to choose for savoring, because there's a lot of different ways you can practice savoring. I'm going to give you an example that highlights how versatile savoring is. 

We often talk about future coping strategies, but reminiscing the intentional recall of a positive memory is one of the most powerful ways to savor, and it's a form of emotional resilience. It's like applying the catching joy practice we just went through to a memory, instead of to the moment that you're in.

So I have a good example that connects to overcoming performance anxiety, or stage fright. Or public speaking anxiety is another way of putting that, which most people can relate to. Because we know that public speaking is the most feared activity among people. So I often get extra nervous when I'm doing public speaking [00:10:00] in front of peers, but I have a memory that I intentionally returned to.

Several years ago, I participated in a musical improv night during a conference. I cannot sing well, and I was on stage with people who had many more years of training than I did, and I was nervous about that. But I did it anyway, and I ended up absolutely loving the experience.

To help with public speaking anxiety, now I think of that night, and I remember. I'll never forget this specifically: taking a moment to look around while I was on stage, noticing who was there with me, what the stage looked like, because I was feeling such a powerful sense of belonging and creativity with the group. That was a moment of present moment savoring, right?

So I took a moment during that performance too. Engage in sort of a, you know, four step catching joy activity that we just went through. Now though, when I'm stressed, I [00:11:00] reminisce about this. I replay the specific words I sang, which I'll never forget either, right? I can almost feel the stage lights and I can recall the rush of positive feeling.

If I can sing terribly in front of a room full of peers and strangers and love every second, then I can definitely present my work to colleagues. That's how it helps me.

CORAL OWEN: I love that so much. That's such a powerful example, it's almost like a savoring memory bake. 

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, exactly.

CORAL OWEN: Yeah, and it just perfectly demonstrates that energy boost that we can get from the catching joy practice. It doesn't disappear, right? It gets banked and filed away for later, and you're consciously capturing that feeling of connection and confidence in the moment, and then you can intentionally pull it out whenever you need that boost in the future.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, exactly. I mean, savoring is about amplifying the signal of the good. Whether it's the smell of your coffee right [00:12:00] now, or the sense of accomplishment from a year ago. It all builds your emotional resilience. So here's a challenge for all of you, all of our listeners: try the Catching Joy practice just once a day this week or one day this week.

Don't wait for a huge event. Just find a positive moment in the mundane: your lunch break, the first sip of water, or a successful phone call. And if you're facing a stressful moment, try my technique, savor a positive memory by reliving the sensory details and letting the good feelings wash over you.

CORAL OWEN: I love that so much. Thanks so much for sharing this practice, Jessica.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Oh, I loved it.

CORAL OWEN: Alrighty, well that is a wrap for today's episode. Thank you all so much for joining our conversation today on the power of savoring the moment both in the present, but also in the past. 

If you found value in our talk today, you can share this episode with a friend or a colleague. We will be back next week with something new and until then, keep practicing. [00:13:00]

CREDITS: The Practicing Connection Podcast is a production of OneOp and is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, US Department of Agriculture and the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy, US Department of Defense under award number 2 0 2 3 4 8 7 74 3 3.