Living Well Blog

Do you prefer to stay at home instead of meeting up with friends? Are you a loner who prefers to get lost down rabbit holes online than talk on the phone? Don’t go to church or belong to active social groups? If so, you may be risking your health. Even for the otherwise healthy, lack of social… See more

The social ties we develop – between ourselves, our family and our friends — shouldn’t be taken lightly. There’s an ever-growing body of scientific evidence that supports these social connections and highlight the negative health effects when those bonds break. Social disconnection is now… See more

Meditation is practice that helps you develop internal focus, control thoughts, relax, find inner peace, concentrate and ease stress. Meditating regularly can train your brain to be more aware of actions and emotions and help you calmly process negative thoughts without judgment.When you think… See more

As Benjamin Franklin famously noted: nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes.But when death comes sooner than expected to a loved one, or even when we’re prepared for the possibility, the ensuing grief can be debilitating, impacting many aspects of our life and our ability to focus… See more

The elements of grieving are both personal and unpredictable. The extent of bereavement, how we handle loss, and the direct impact on our health varies greatly person to person. Research shows that it’s normal to experience an undercurrent of emotional, mental and physiological health issues… See more

Social isolation and loneliness are known to increase as we age and are often spoken about interchangeably. But they are not the same and far from nuanced in their differences. Loneliness is psychologically defined as the feeling of being alone, regardless of how much social contact you have — more… See more

The loss of a loved one is an inevitable part of life. Bereavement is a tough and personal journey that can be overwhelming at times, whether the loss is a spouse, child, parent, relative, friend or pet.Bereavement includes grieving, our internal thoughts and feelings on loss, and mourning, our… See more

Does your life have meaning? Does it have purpose? If you answered yes, here’s some good news: Studies show that having a purpose can lead to better health outcomes.That’s the bottom line, but from there it gets a little murky. Let’s start with how we define what gives us meaning or purpose in life… See more

Have you ever volunteered for a good cause? If yes, how did it make you feel? Did it boost your mood? What about when you donated to your favorite charity? It turns out volunteering and giving are two activities associated with good health and longevity.  Let’s focus on volunteering first.… See more

You may not realize it, but your mental health can heavily influence your risk for heart disease. From stress to anxiety to depression, how your feeling can affect your heart's health. Learn more in this video from Dr. Alan Reisinger.TRANSCRIPT:I’m sure you know that things like… See more