I am a summer lover. I try to convince myself I love all seasons but summer is the most intuitive season for me to love. Summer calls me outside, and Mother Earth invites me to play. There isn’t much that makes me happier than exploring and hiking the Wasatch Wilderness at the height of summer. It is in the mountains that I most commonly experience a sense of awe. Awe is one of my favorite emotions to feel. Awe is one of those emotions that can be hard to describe, but we know it when we feel it. It can feel like a sense of wonder, inspiration, transcendence, presence, complete absorption in the present experience, humility in the awareness of something magnificent, or something that invites us beyond our normal lived experience and into something more sublime. 

Awe can be experienced in a variety of contexts, from witnessing great acts of kindness, natural phenomena, artistic masterpieces, music, spiritual practices, meditation, communal gatherings, and celebrations, to name a few.  The summertime, with its longer days and inviting weather, offers a perfect canvas for cultivating these awe-inspiring experiences. 

Awe is more than just a fleeting feeling of amazement. It has significant psychological and physiological benefits. Awe is known to increase feelings of happiness and well-being, reduce stress and anxiety, increase a sense of connection with others, boost creativity, and increase gratitude, and mindfulness. 

While awe is a feeling, we can cultivate experiences that invite awe and also attune ourselves to it so that it becomes a more common experience for us. Dacher Keltner is a researcher on awe and the author of the new book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. He describes that people who frequently experience awe have traits of open-mindedness and the ability to be absorbed or get lost in experiences. We can cultivate these traits through practicing curiosity and mindfulness. We can look for and be open to moments of awe. Indeed, we can find awe in everyday moments if we look for them. 

I love these simple life instructions from the poet Mary Oliver:

Instructions For Living a Life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it.

Awe is a powerful emotion that can enrich our lives in myriad ways. By intentionally seeking out awe-inspiring experiences, especially during the summertime, we can cultivate a deeper appreciation for the world around us, feel connected to ourselves and others, and enhance our overall well-being. Whether through nature, culture, travel, mindfulness, or adventure, opportunities for awe are abundant and waiting to be discovered. Embrace the summer and let the world amaze you.

Here are some ways to create these moments:

Explore nature (my personal favorite) Nature is one of the most consistent sources of awe. Whether it’s a majestic mountain range, a serene forest, or the vast ocean, natural landscapes have a way of making us feel small in the best way.

• Hiking: Find a local trail and spend an hour to a day hiking. The options are endless if you live in Utah, and the terrain varies from mountain peaks to valleys full of wildflowers and rushing waterfalls. 
• Star gazing: Stargazing in a remote area, away from city lights, can be a humbling and awe-inspiring experience.
• Water Activities: Kayaking, paddleboarding, or even just a swim in a natural body of water can provide a refreshing and awe-inducing connection with nature.

Attend Cultural Events: Summer is often filled with festivals, concerts, and outdoor performances that can evoke a sense of wonder and connection with others. For example, this September, I hope to make it to the Night Lights Lantern Festival, where I can have my own real life Disney’s Tangled moment. Other ideas include:

• Music festivals: The collective energy of a live music performance, especially in an open-air setting, can be profoundly moving. Deer Valley in Park City always hosts a summer music festival, and several venues all around Utah host outdoor summer concerts. 
• Art Installations: Visit outdoor art exhibits or public installations that invite interaction and contemplation. This can even include events as simple and local as Farmer’s Markets, where artists often show and sell their wares.

Travel and Discover: Traveling to new places, whether near or far, can offer fresh perspectives and novel experiences. This doesn’t have to be expensive or grandiose. Plan a road trip to explore unfamiliar destinations. The journey itself, with its changing landscapes and spontaneous discoveries, can be awe-inspiring. Utah has many potentially awe inspiring locations easily accessed by car. For example, I hope to visit the salt flats for a sunset sometime soon and finally see the spiral jetty in the Great Salt Lake. We are so close to several National Parks as well!

Mindful Practices. Good grief…I wonder when I will ever be consistent in my meditation practice. It’s something that is so hard for me to do…even though I know it’s very good for me. Meditation feels more doable and inviting when I do it outdoors. But meditation is also just one form of mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness…paying attention to the present moment, invites that curiosity and openness for awe in the everyday moments.

Document moments of awe. 

• Photography: I love capturing moments of beauty and wonder on camera. This practice encourages me to look at the world with fresh eyes and find awe in the details. And I can remember and relive the sense of awe I felt when I reflect on the photos I captured.
• Journal: For me, this can be how I “tell about it” from Mary Oliver’s life instructions. Reflecting on the context of moments of awe, how I felt, and what the experience meant to me can amplify its importance and translate the experience into more meaning for me. 

What other ideas do you have? 

Mental health is such an important part of our overall well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and handle life’s ups and downs. One powerful way to take care of our mental health is by learning to let go of things that weigh us down. That’s where “Let It Go Day,” celebrated on June 23rd, comes in.

“Let It Go Day” is a great reminder that hanging on to grudges, regrets, and past hurts can really drag us down. These negative feelings can cause stress, anxiety, and depression. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting or ignoring what happened; it’s about acceptance and acknowledgment while releasing its hold on our present and future.

Letting go can be incredibly freeing. It helps us move forward, find peace, and see things more positively. Here are a few simple ways to embrace “Let It Go Day”:

1. Reflect and Acknowledge: Spend a few moments thinking about what you’re holding onto. Recognize these feelings without judging yourself. Understanding what’s bothering you is the first step to letting it go.
2. Practice Mindfulness: Try some mindfulness exercises like meditation or deep breathing. Staying present can reduce the power of negative thoughts about the past or future.
3. Express Your Feelings: Talk to someone you trust about what you’re feeling. Sharing your thoughts can help you process and release them.
4. Forgive: Forgiveness is key. It’s not about saying what happened was okay but about freeing yourself from the burden of holding onto it.
5. Look Forward: Set positive goals and intentions for the future. Letting go of past burdens makes room for new opportunities and personal growth.

“Let It Go Day” is all about releasing what no longer serves us and embracing a healthier, more fulfilling life. By letting go of negative emotions, we can improve our mental health and cultivate a more peaceful mindset. So, let today be the day you start to let go and move forward with a lighter heart and a clearer mind.

Food is more than just fuel for our bodies. It’s an essential ingredient in the recipe of a meaningful and enriched human experience. Beyond its nutritional value, food plays a major role in our ability to connect, explore, and find comfort. 

Throughout our lives, we as humans experience a variety of emotions. Whether they are comfortable emotions such as feeling powerful, inspired, happy, or heavier emotions such as feeling insecure, overwhelmed, or disappointed, food can be a powerful way to find connection throughout it all. 

I want you to think about the happiest day of your life. Was it a celebration of a personal achievement? A wedding day? A notable day exploring a new city? How did you celebrate? While answering these questions, it is very likely that food was a memorable part of your experience. Whether it is because of the emotional connection, sensory experience, or cultural significance, food is a major aspect of a holistic approach to our daily lives. 

During times of hardship, it’s also common for food to be served as a way to find connection during burdensome times. Funerals, job loss, breakups, and hard days are all examples of moments where food is used as a token of encouragement, love, and unity. We use food as a way to honor, support, celebrate, and empathize with others during all phases of life.

If we limit our food intake, what are we actually limiting when looking at the bigger picture? Our ability to adventure, show up for others, find community, and regulate the large scale of human emotions. Food elevates the human experience. By limiting food, we put limits on our ability to live freely. 

I challenge you to think about how you can use food as a tool to enrich your human experience. 

Maybe this is the year…

• You make memories instead of resolutions
• You count smiles instead of calories
• You cut the sizes out of your clothes instead of cutting out sugar or bread
• You sign up for more sleep instead of more fitness classes
• You step into your own abundance instead of trying to shrink yourself in all possible ways
• You practice self-compassion instead of shame
• You move your body how and when you want to and not how and when you think you “should”
• You get a new friend instead of a new PR
• You find curiosity instead of judgment
• You collect resiliency instead of counting failures
• You find joy in the details instead of stress in the big picture
• You find unconditional self-love instead of conditional expectation
• You see your wholeness and strength instead of your brokenness 
• You recognize your unconditional, unchanging worth instead of the hustling to prove your value to the world
• You slow down instead of speeding up
• You breathe into the unknown instead of trying to control all the outcomes
• You scream for fury, rage, grief, and joy instead of holding it all in
• You decide to “want to” instead of “have to”
• You take things OFF your To Do List instead of chronically adding to it
• You connect with yourself and others instead of metrics and milestones
• You look back and celebrate how far you’ve come instead of looking ahead at how far you think you still have to go
• You step into 2024 knowing you are complete, whole, beautiful, and loved, just as you are

We have entered my absolute favorite season of the year for hiking. This time of year, the earth really likes to show off her colors! If you know me, you know that I have to get into nature at least once a week as a baseline need for my self-care. I have found nothing else in the world provides me the psychological benefits that mother earth provides.

Stress Reduction: I stress out a lot. Too much. Hiking in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, significantly and quickly reduces my stress levels. Research has shown that exposure to nature lowers cortisol. The sounds of birds chirping, the rustling of leaves, and the sight of natural, beautiful landscapes have a calming effect on our overly active brains. 

Enhanced Mood: This is probably my main reason for hiking. As someone who has a history of mental health concerns and a vulnerability to them, I take managing my mental health very seriously. Nature is a space where my mood feels the lightest, most peaceful, and happiest. Hiking triggers the release of endorphins, which can lead to an immediate mood lift. I took my daughter on a hike this weekend, and she commented on how friendly everyone was on the trail. I told her, “Yes, nature just makes people nicer and happier.” 

Improved Mental Clarity and Presence: The simplicity of hiking – putting one foot in front of the other – helps me be more present and work through my life’s demands without constant stimulation and distraction. Being in nature also helps reduce my problems to their “appropriate size.” I am certainly culpable of inflating the importance of my life’s “problems” and demands. Nature reminds me of my space in the world and helps me hold all of these things more lightly.

Connection to Nature: Hiking transports me into a world so much vaster and bigger than myself. Specifically, I feel connected to our incredible Earth and feel so grateful to be on this journey of life. I hold the paradox of feeling a deep sense of belonging while also feeling small and unimportant. This paradox and connection to something so profoundly incredible as our Earth enhances my sense of well-being. 

Social Connection: Sometimes, I hike alone when I need to decompress and work through internal concerns. Other times, I really enjoy hiking in the company of others. Hiking provides a unique space where we aren’t distracted by our phones or anything else in life pulling for our attention. As a result, some of my life’s best conversations and meaningful connections happen hiking with friends. Group hikes offer opportunities for shared experiences, new memories, and meaningful conversations.

Boost in Self-Esteem: When I hike, I have a unique experience of both being completely embodied, and forgetting about my body. I do not hike for specific metrics like distance, or elevation gain, etc. I hike for the experience of beauty and connection. That said, I also feel a deep sense of satisfaction when I arrive at an incredible vista, summit, mountain lake, or waterfall. Hiking provides a sense of accomplishment that can boost self-esteem and self-efficacy. These feelings of accomplishment extend beyond the trail and positively impact self-worth.

Hiking is not merely a leisure activity; it’s a therapeutic journey. Unlike any other therapy, nature offers, in one combination package, the power to reduce stress, improve mood, and connect to ourselves, others, and something profoundly bigger than ourselves. Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or new to the trails, I hope you’ll venture into nature to experience these benefits for yourself. Your mental health will thank you.