House Calls Podcast

Meditation for Connecting with Loved Ones

Hello and welcome to House Calls. I'm Vivek Murthy and I have the honor of serving as U.S. Surgeon General. This week, we're doing a special episode of House Calls. How do you maintain a feeling of connection to your loved ones? There's a sixty-second meditation I often do during moments when I feel lonely or disconnected from others. It's a quick way to remind me that I'm not alone and that even in tough times, it's possible to find something or someone to be grateful for. Personally, I've come back to this practice often over the last five years because it's quick, simple and powerful. Sometimes I do it first thing in the morning. Other times I'll do it when I'm traveling for work and missing family and friends. So in the spirit of love and connection, I'm sharing this practice here as a way to tap into the inner reserve of love and connection that is always available to all of us. Here's how it goes. Raise your right hand and place it over your heart and close your eyes. Think about the people who have loved you over the years. The people who have been there for you during difficult times, who have supported you without judging you and who stood by your side. Even when it was hard. Think about the people who have celebrated your moments of greatest joy. The people who saw your successes as theirs. The people who derived such pleasure and fulfillment from seeing you happy. Feel their love flowing through you, filling your heart, lifting you up, brightening your spirit. And know that love is always there for you. Even if they are not physically with you because you carry that love in your heart. Know also that you are, and always will be, worthy of that love. It came to you because you deserve it, because love is your birthright. Now open your eyes. What you felt in that brief meditation. That was the power of love. That is the power of social connection. It's who we were designed to be and what we were designed to experience. All of us, regardless of our age or life experience, have the ability to remember moments, and people, we are grateful for. I want all of you to know, just as I want my own children to know, and just as I remind myself often that we are all worthy of love and connection. This is true even in those moments where we feel that we perhaps aren't worthy, and in those moments when we feel like we're the only one who might be struggling. The truth is, we're not. We're not alone. There are others out there who want what we want. A life that is more connected. A world that is more connected. A world where we show up for one another, where we have each other's backs. A world that's powered by love. That world is within our grasp. We only have to envision it, to name it, and to start taking actions in our day to day lives to build that world. That means being intentional about reaching out to others. It means being clear about the values that nurture a people-centered life. Values like kindness, generosity and love. Every time you reach out to others with these values in your heart, whether it's helping a family member or expressing kindness to a stranger, you serve as a ray of light in a world that too often seems dark in a world full of despair. These small acts of kindness are radical acts of defiance. They are the force we need to ultimately build the world that we all want. Join me for our next episode of House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy. Wishing you all health and happiness.