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I did it…and what I did hurt a person I cared about. There were no excuses. There was no one else to blame. It was my choice. The connection with the person I had been close to was severed. I could feel the separation. As described by Brené Brown, “Connection is the...

Having reflected on ways to develop connections during the last several Wellness Wednesdays, I have come to a conclusion: we are made for connections. The countless ways we can connect reveal the existential need to connect. Our physical, mental, and emotional...

As we consider the conditions that lead to connections, joy and pain are near the top of the list. Having grown up in Illinois and being a fanatic Chicago Cub fan, I experienced connection with millions of Chicago fans after the Cubs won the 2016 World Series. On a...

I indicated in a previous Wellness Wednesday that Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is one of my favorite books. The story is essentially captured in the title. Holden Caulfield, the main character, is standing at the bottom of a cliff above which children are...

As we continue our Wellness Wednesday focus on creating connections so as to meet our desire for belonging, we need to consider a basic need of all human beings. Think of it this way. Every person goes through life carrying the following imaginary sign: Yes, everyone...

As we consider ways to develop mental health and enhance our social-emotional well-being through the ability to connect, I am reminded of John Steinbeck’s warning about our tendency to hurry. Arguably, no profession is more in a hurry than the medical profession when...

Our recent Wellness Wednesdays have focused on the importance of connection in developing mental health and social-emotional well-being. We have considered how sharing my story and helping others are ways to create connection. I recently experienced both within a span...

Experiencing connection is essential for mental health and social-emotional well-being. Last week’s Wellness Wednesday focused on sharing my story with others as a way to experience connection. Helping others is another meaningful way of experiencing connection and...

Wellness Wednesday is focusing on mental health and social and emotional well-being. At the root of this is every person’s need to belong and experience connection. In his farewell address to the nation, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “This world of ours…must...