I hope you are all staying healthy and well. As I take moments to reflect on how I’m doing, and what’s going on in the world, I find deep gratitude for the relationships and connections that highlight my days.
A walk with my mom; random jokes with my siblings; virtual talks with friends about uncertainty, fond memories, and daily check-ins, and future hopes, these moments, no matter how short, are sure to deepen my breathing and brighten my mood.
There has been plenty of talk about physical distancing, not social distancing, and the importance of staying connected and checking on loved ones. While especially pertinent to our current reality, the power of close relationships has been found to be the key to happiness, healthiness, and longevity in life.
"The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier."
In 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development began. Perhaps the longest study on adult life, this research continues even today.
Throughout the decades, this study has followed over 700 men (now including women and the original participants’ children) to observe how life experiences impact health and ageing.
Dr. Robert Waldinger, the current director of this study, sums it up as this, “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.”
While especially pertinent to our current reality, the power of close relationships has been found to be the key to happiness, healthiness, and longevity in life.
At the beginning of Dr. Waldinger’s TED Talk overview of this study, he poses the question, “If you were to invest in your future best self, where would you put your time and your energy?”
While some days I don’t have the capacity to think about my future best self as I stay alert to the current pandemic, I’ve been thinking about the day to day benefits I’m experiencing from my social connections.
Whether it be for your future health or your current sanity, I hope you are able to put time and energy into connecting with your loved ones at this time. This may look a little different than what we’re used to but perhaps now more than ever it is these relationships that will keep us breathing, keep us steady, and every now and then elicit a chuckle or two.
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