Try this one practice to reframe work stress when you most need it
Have you ever had a moment where the world fell quiet—not because everything stopped, but because you did? You catch your breath, your shoulders drop, and whatever’s been gnawing at you seems insignificant. That feeling has a name: awe. In a work culture that treats exhaustion as a status symbol, awe might be a small but radical way of coping with chronic stress. And the best thing is, awe…
Have you ever felt a moment of awe, where time seemed to pause and the world around you seemed vast and overwhelming? This feeling, known as awe, can be a powerful tool for coping with work-related stress. A study from the University of California, Berkeley found that awe is "the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world."
This sense of vastness can take many forms, from a breathtaking sunset to an expertly executed performance. Awe has two main effects: it stretches your mental map, making it harder to grasp scale, control, and importance, and it shifts you into a state called the "small self" where self-focus diminishes and you feel part of something larger.
In the modern workplace, where burnout is rampant, awe offers a unique path to relief. Traditional solutions like taking more vacation time often aren't feasible, especially in places like the United States where workers get less than two weeks of paid time off annually. Micro-awe, or brief moments of awe throughout the day, can be a more practical approach.
These moments, such as taking a few deep breaths while looking at the sky or going for an "awe walk" around the office, can help shift your perspective and reduce stress. The research suggests that regularly experiencing awe leads to lower stress levels and higher life satisfaction. The BRNT framework, which stands for Breathe, Rest, Nourish, and Talk, offers a practical way to incorporate micro-awe into your daily routine.
Breathe focuses on calming your body through breathwork, yoga, meditation, and movement. Rest involves taking perspective pauses and mental off-duty time, using micro-awe to change your perspective when stepping away from work. Nourish involves choosing awe over outrage, opting for content that inspires wonder instead of negativity.
Finally, Talk emphasizes sharing awe with others, fostering social connections, and encouraging open communication about stress and burnout. By weaving micro-awe into your everyday life, you can create a buffer against burnout that doesn't require significant changes to your schedule or lifestyle.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
