WEBVTT - Combating Loneliness

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<v Speaker 1>Stay Calm is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,

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<v Speaker 1>helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re

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<v Speaker 1>energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version

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<v Speaker 1>of themselves. And now I want to help you do

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<v Speaker 1>the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's begin today's journey. Feeling lonely, You're not alone.

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<v Speaker 1>These can be very tough times. So many of us

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<v Speaker 1>love connecting with people. We thrive on human connection. Before

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<v Speaker 1>the coronavirus pandemic, we go out, go to restaurants, stores,

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<v Speaker 1>or favorite corner coffee shop, our favorite bakery. We'd see

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<v Speaker 1>people we love, people who love us. Gave us a

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<v Speaker 1>power of connection. The longing meaning now not so much.

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<v Speaker 1>Mother Teresa once said that people feel more pain from

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<v Speaker 1>loneliness than they do from hunger. Actually, we're in the

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<v Speaker 1>midst of a major loneliness epidemic. Before coronavirus. A study

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<v Speaker 1>in eighteen by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that sixty

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<v Speaker 1>million Americans said that they are often are always lonely

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<v Speaker 1>or felt socially isolated, and of people older than the

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<v Speaker 1>age of sixty felt lonely. We don't like to be alone.

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<v Speaker 1>We're social creatures, so what can we do well? Many

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<v Speaker 1>sociologists say the problem is we put too much value

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<v Speaker 1>on individualism, too much value on material success for our

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<v Speaker 1>self worth, that we undervalue relationships. They say we need

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<v Speaker 1>to reprioritize and put people at the top of everything,

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<v Speaker 1>and the way we run our businesses, educate our young.

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<v Speaker 1>He'll are sick. That's fortunately, there's stuff we can do

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<v Speaker 1>right now. According to the former U s Surgeon General

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<v Speaker 1>Viveck Morty, it's all about connection. He says, quote, building

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<v Speaker 1>a more connected life is ultimately grounded in the small

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<v Speaker 1>things we do. It doesn't require a wholesale and version

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<v Speaker 1>of our life. There are small steps we can take

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<v Speaker 1>so we find much deeper connection and fulfillment. One of

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<v Speaker 1>the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves is to

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<v Speaker 1>give to other people, and that is the gift of

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<v Speaker 1>our full attention. We're used to thinking that the way

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<v Speaker 1>to deal with the problem is to voice and enact

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<v Speaker 1>a solution, but there's also great healing to be found

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<v Speaker 1>in just listening deeply to someone and it's one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most powerful things we can ever do. Another thing

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<v Speaker 1>we can do, he says, is calling a friend to

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<v Speaker 1>see how they're doing, checking on a neighbor who might

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<v Speaker 1>be older to make sure that they have groceries, face

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<v Speaker 1>timing with your grandchildren for ten or fifteen minutes so

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<v Speaker 1>that their parents have time to sit and breathe. But

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<v Speaker 1>we also know there are times when we are alone

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<v Speaker 1>that we don't feel lost and lonely, but instead we

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<v Speaker 1>feel inspired, energized, empowered. The deepest connection is to connect

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<v Speaker 1>with yourself during meditation. No one can take that away

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<v Speaker 1>from you. It's safe, peaceful, sublime, restorative, loyal, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>deep within you at all times. You just need to

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<v Speaker 1>take the time to make the connection. My health tip

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<v Speaker 1>of the day, whether or not you feel lonely, you

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<v Speaker 1>may know someone who does. Call them. That's it today.

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<v Speaker 1>Now call or zoom a family member or friend, someone

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<v Speaker 1>you're thinking about, someone you may be a little concerned about,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe just someone who makes you happy. You can

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<v Speaker 1>make a difference and you'll feel a whole lot better.

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<v Speaker 1>And regarding making a difference, I want to end with

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<v Speaker 1>this story as told by Lauren Easley, who was an

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<v Speaker 1>American anthropologist, educator, philosopher, and natural science writer. I love

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<v Speaker 1>this story, Easley wrote. One day a man was walking

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<v Speaker 1>along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something

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<v Speaker 1>up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy,

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<v Speaker 1>he asked, what are you doing. The youth replied, throwing

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<v Speaker 1>starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and

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<v Speaker 1>the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back,

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<v Speaker 1>they'll die. Son, The man said, don't you realize that

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<v Speaker 1>there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't make a difference. After listening politely, the boy

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<v Speaker 1>bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it back

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<v Speaker 1>into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>I made a difference for that one. All right. Thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for joining me today. I hope you heard something

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<v Speaker 1>that inspires that uplifts you and that you can incorporate

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<v Speaker 1>into your own life. This is Bob Roth. Stay calm, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>all of you out there, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything

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<v Speaker 1>else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to hearing from you.