#238 "You Don’t Have to be Alone to be Lonely” | Former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy

Our guest this week gives a bracingly candid account of loneliness-- one made all the more remarkable by the fact that he is a former surgeon general. 

Even before the current coronavirus pandemic, we were in the midst of another, quieter pandemic: loneliness. The term sounds somewhat unpleasant, but make no mistake: loneliness is, in fact, a deeply pernicious and insidious state, both psychologically and physiologically. And now, with all the social distancing we're doing, the loneliness problem is on steroids. This problem touches those not only people who live alone, but also those of us who may be surrounded by family. Loneliness doesn't require you to be alone. As you will hear, it's more about the quality of your relationships.

Our guest, Dr. Vivek Murthy is, as mentioned, the former surgeon general. He has just published a book about loneliness, called "Together." We're doing this episode in a bit of a different way. We actually interviewed Vivek twice. The first time I spoke to him was right before the pandemic truly took off in the U.S.. He gave an incredible interview that we were excited to post. But then things really went haywire with the virus, so we wanted to have him on to talk about that. So we'll do this episode in two parts. First, you'll hear the newer interview -- which is more topical. Then you'll hear the earlier interview, where he goes into greater depth. 

Where to find Dr. Vivek Murthy online: 

• Website: https://www.vivekmurthy.com/
• Book: https://www.vivekmurthy.com/together-book

Social Media:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vivek_murthy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrVivekMurthy/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvivekmurthy

Other Resources Mentioned:

• RULER at YALE http://ei.yale.edu/ruler/ruler-overview/

Additional Resources:

• Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live
• Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide
• Free App access for Health Care Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care