“Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier and help us live longer. This is the most important finding from an 84-year study conducted through Harvard University on what makes us happy in life.” This is a direct quote from an article in The Atlantic that showed up in my news feed earlier this year. It stuck in my mind and has resurfaced periodically during my formal meditation practice (i.e., concept of social fitness) and periodically as I’ve experienced connection to others in April.
Earlier this month I completed teaching another cycle of the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course. As we ended the latest MBSR course, I was touched by the offerings and reflections from participants as we engaged in the final sharing circle. Being able to experience meaningful presence with others in the course was a gift! That presence provided feelings of connection to participants from all over North America. Now I have a short break prior to beginning to teach the next course in May. I am dedicating some specific meditation time to reflection on connection. I have worked to hold onto to the fruits of that connection time, learn from it and allow it to inform me of ways I can continue to nurture connection moving forward.
Contemplating connection and social fitness served me during this month when some family members began arriving for a weekend get together and celebration of Easter. At times in my life, hosting a house full of people can get overwhelming, burdensome and cause me to be stressed and disconnected. Over the years, I have learned through my awareness practice that I can shift my perspective and attitude and gain much from family gatherings. I have learned from these brief and meaningful weekends together with family that presence and connection is more important and valuable to me than the “right” food, the “right” plans and the “right” activities.
In their book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz found that good relationships lead to health and happiness. The trick is that those relationships must be nurtured. We sometimes neglect our connections with others at our own peril. Investing in our social fitness is increased if we are paying attention and practicing awareness. Finding small investments regularly in our relationships with others can create long-term ripples of health and well-being.
I believe that mindfulness practices are a good start for taking stock of our relationships. Regular awareness practice and checking in with ourselves allows for that serious and regular reflection of that state of our connection to others. I am suggesting that Loving Kindness practice and Self-Compassion practice are ways to assess our connection to ourselves and others. Open awareness practice is another formal mindfulness practice that can contribute to our social fitness check in. I have included a link to an article that summarizes some of the finding from the book I’ve mentioned as well as a link to a meditation practice on connection. Additionally, check out my website events page for an additional opportunity at the end of April for exploring how stress reduction and mindfulness practices assist with ongoing connection to self and others.
Wishing you moments of happiness and connection this spring,
Karen
Summary article on Happiness from The Atlantic:
Meditation on Connection and Compassion:
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