← Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Why Connection Is The Most Important Aspect Of Health: Best Of 2019 #89

Dec 26, 2019 44m 36s 26 insights
Over the past 2 years, I have had the privilege of talking with some of the most influential and insightful voices in the health and wellbeing space. To celebrate, I have decided to release 3 very special compilation episodes at the end of the year, which also happens to be the end of the decade! In my new book, Feel Better in 5, I split up health into 3 main areas: Mind, Body and Heart. The 'Heart' section is all about nurturing your essential human connections. This is such a crucial, but undervalued, component of health. People who are lonely are 50% more likely to die earlier and 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke. The feeling of social isolation is through to be as harmful for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. In today’s show, I share some of the best clips from my podcast about the importance and power of meaningful human connection. You will hear from Dhru Purohit on why we need deep meaningful friendships to thrive, and not just survive, the hypnotherapist, Chloe Brotheridge, on why being kind to yourself is so important and why life feels perfect once we accept the way that things are, the outspoken Nagoski Sisters, who discuss how to complete the stress response cycle, no matter what the stressor is in your life is and why a 20 second hug can be so beneficial. You will then hear from Peter Crone - without question, my conversation with Peter has proven to be one of the most popular and impactful episodes I have ever released on my show - I share a clip where Peter talks about how you cannot create the life of someone else you don’t believe yourself to be and how true happiness is the absence of the search for happiness. We then hear from the physician, Gabor Mate, who talks about social isolation and how addiction is a behaviour that we use to soothe our pain, and then finish off with the wonderful Johann Hari on the primal importance of human connection and why he defines home as being the place where somebody notices when you are not there.  I really enjoyed putting this episode together and I hope you enjoy listening, as much! There are plenty of 5 minute tips on how to nurture those essential human connections in my brand new book, Feel Better in 5. You can order your very own copy now - Feel better in 5; Your Daily Plan to Feel Better for Life. Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/89 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk
Actionable Insights

1. Take Ownership of Your Health

Recognize that you are the architect of your own health and that making lifestyle changes is always worthwhile, as feeling better leads to living more.

2. Prioritize Human Connection

Actively foster connection with friends, partners, work colleagues, and yourself, as this ‘heart section’ of health is crucial for overall well-being and thriving.

3. Combat Loneliness Actively

Actively combat loneliness and social isolation, as these states are severely detrimental to health, increasing risk of early death, heart attack, stroke, and are as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes daily.

4. Cultivate Deep Friendships

Cultivate deep, meaningful friendships to support you in achieving big dreams and goals, navigating challenging times, and feeling loved, as this moves you beyond mere survival to truly thriving in life.

5. Foster a Sense of Belonging

Actively foster a sense of belonging and see yourself as part of a connected tapestry of wider meaning, similar to ancestral tribes, as this leads to greater life satisfaction and well-being.

6. Nurture Connections with 5-Min Snacks

Nurture your essential human connections using practical, five-minute ‘health snacks’ from the ‘Feel Better in 5’ book, as this underappreciated component of health is crucial for well-being.

7. Choose Genuine Over Digital Connection

Prioritize genuine human connection through in-person interaction, where communication happens on multiple levels, over digital ‘wired’ connections, which can lead to isolation.

8. Seek Community, Purpose, Value

To combat feelings of unhappiness, actively seek out community, ensure you are seen, loved, and valued, and cultivate a sense of purpose and meaning in your life, as these are fundamental human needs.

9. Practice Self-Kindness, Acceptance

Be kind to yourself, accept that you will fail at times, and cultivate an attitude of acceptance towards things as they are, as this leads to contentment and satisfaction, making things feel perfect.

10. Daily Self-Appreciation Practice

Counteract negativity bias by daily thinking of three things you appreciate about yourself, such as what you did well, what you like, or challenges overcome, to train your mind to think more positively and grow self-esteem.

11. Embrace Present Happiness

Cultivate true happiness by being content with your current circumstances and not relying on a future idealized state, choosing to be happy now rather than pursuing it as a distant goal.

12. Practice Acceptance of Reality

Find harmony and peace with what is, rather than resisting current circumstances, as resistance is futile and a precursor to psychological, emotional, and physiological dis-ease.

13. Align Self-Belief with Goals

To create a desired external life, you must first believe yourself to be the person who can achieve it, aligning your internal self-view, speech, and behavior with your aspirations.

14. Create Future, Not Fix Past

Focus on creating an extraordinary future out of pure creation rather than reacting to or trying to fix your past history, which can lead to anxiety and hinder performance.

15. Live Creatively, Not Reactively

Choose to live from a place of creation, working towards an extraordinary future, rather than reacting to or trying to fix past history, which is impossible and leads to tension and worry.

16. Complete Stress Response Cycle

Actively complete the stress response cycle using methods like crying, laughing, or a 20-second hug, to return to a state of safety and lower heart rate and blood pressure.

17. Practice 20-Second Hugs

Engage in a 20-second hug with someone you love and trust, allowing your bodies to connect, as this physical touch helps lower heart rate and blood pressure, returning you to a feeling of safety.

18. Pick 3 Five-Minute Health Snacks

To optimize well-being and longevity, pick three five-minute ‘health snacks’ from the ‘Feel Better in 5’ book to do every day, personalizing the plan to suit your life, as this plan is easy to do, easy to maintain, and requires minimal willpower.

19. Address Disconnection, Combat Addiction

Recognize that addiction is often a behavior used to soothe pain stemming from disconnection, and addressing this underlying isolation and shame is crucial to breaking the cycle of addiction.

20. Learn from Evolutionary Heritage

Learn from our evolutionary heritage and implement aspects of past communal, attachment-based living within modern constraints to counteract the negative effects of societal disconnection.

21. Promote Societal Reconnection

As a society, actively promote reconnection, rediscovery of meaning, and valuing other people, recognizing that this fundamental human hunger is crucial for collective well-being.

22. Join Supportive Online Communities

Join supportive online communities, such as the ‘Dr. Chatterjee Four Pillar Tribe’ on Facebook, to share health journeys, gain support, and connect with like-minded individuals.

23. Start/Join Podcast Meetup Clubs

Start or join ‘Feel Better Live More podcast meetup clubs’ to gather in person, discuss episodes, share insights, and make local offline connections, leveraging online content for real-world community.

24. Attend Live Events for Connection

Consider attending live events like book signings and talks to meet people in person and foster a sense of community and connection.

25. Consider Athletic Greens Supplementation

If unable to get all nutrition from food, consider taking Athletic Greens as a nutrient-dense whole food supplement, and use the provided link (athleticgreens.com/livemore) for a special offer.

26. Support Podcasts with Reviews

If you enjoy a podcast, leave a review on its platform or share it on social media/with friends and family, as this increases visibility and helps the information reach more people.