Pause

Pause

With the holidays around the corner, we have time to leave work behind and spend time with our loved ones.

Let’s not forget:

The longest-running study on happiness (75 years!), conducted by researchers at Harvard, showed that...

🔹 Social connections

🔸 The quality of relationships, and

🔹 Our satisfaction with those relationships

…are the greatest predictors of a happy life.

(I’ve included a link to a TED talk on this research at the bottom of this post.)

So enjoy it to the fullest!

Still, I also want to acknowledge the other side of the coin.

Not everyone sees the holidays as a chance to escape work and plunge into social festivities without a care.

For many, this is the first Christmas with an empty seat at the table.

Or the first Christmas since a major, undesired change happened in their life.

This means it can also be a time when we are forced (or feel compelled) to reflect on the more difficult aspects of our lives.

One thing is certain:

Social connections can help ease that pain, too.

My plea:

If you know someone who has recently experienced a negative event or loss...

Call them.

Be there for them.

And don’t ask: “What can I do for you?”—just do it.

Whatever “it” may be.

Let’s help each other with humanity.

Who knows, maybe *you* will need that support next Christmas…

I’m taking a few days off to enjoy my visit back home.

See you soon! 🎄