I began listening to this fascinating book written by Vivek H. Murthy, MD (19th and 21st U.S. Surgeon General) called, 'Together ~ The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World.' The book was published during Covid.
He says in the Author's note (which he wrote in March 2020), "By strengthening our social connections we can fortify our communities and protect each other. Four key strategies will help us not only to whether this crisis but also to heal our social world far into the future:
1. Spend time each day with those you love. This is not limited to the people in your immediate household. Reach out also to the other members of your lifeline via phone or better yet, video conference so you can hear their voices and see their faces. Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about.
2. Focus on each other. Try to eliminate distractions when interacting with others. Forget about multi tasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention making eye contact if possible and genuinely listening.
3. Embrace solitude. The first step toward building stronger connections with others, is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Solitude helps us do that by allowing us to check in with our own feelings and thoughts, to explore our creativity, to connect with nature. Meditation, prayer, art, music and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy.
4. Help and be helped. Service, is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Giving and receiving both strengthen our social bonds. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger.
Can listen to book here...
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