Something has been on my mind (and of my clients too) a lot lately, something that is missing in this hybrid world, and it’s human connection. This beautiful, subtle, yet amazingly powerful aspect of our humanity is often overlooked, especially in today’s noisy, digitized world.
How can we ignore that our mental well-being is intrinsically linked to our ability to connect with others? In recent years we’ve let screens dominate our attention, and isolation has become an uncomfortable new normal. We’ve let the essence of real communication take a back seat to fake interaction, doom scrolling, and click-bait. We’re all plugged in, but are we truly connected?
The Loneliness Epidemic
Several research studies conducted in recent years have sounded alarm bells over what they’re calling a “loneliness epidemic.” A 2019 report by Cigna found that nearly 61% of Americans reported feeling lonely, a considerable jump from the previous year. This sense of isolation is emotionally draining and has a profound impact on both our physical and mental health.
Feelings of loneliness and disconnection can lead to a slew of health issues, including anxiety, depression, and even heart disease. On a psychological level, the lack of social connection can drive us towards maladaptive behaviors such as excessive drinking, media bingeing, or a sheer lack of motivation in life. We do these things to soothe our need to connect with real, live human beings, but it doesn’t really help, does it?
Our Digital Paradox
Living in the era of social media, we feel more connected than ever before but it’s only superficial. When bombarded with updates, notifications, likes, and shares, we can find ourselves even more disconnected and isolated. So we dig a deeper digital hole trying to find the connection we are missing. But it’s not there, is it?
Our devices draw our attention away from the present moment, the person right in front of us, and, importantly, from ourselves. Our “needs” for digital connection keep us from living authentically and experiencing the full range of human emotions and connections.
The Power of Heart Energy
Right here, amid all this busyness, lies our potential to reconnect to our hearts and those of others. When we recognize and appreciate the heart energy of others, we open ourselves up to deeper connections. The vibrations of the heart are the truest reflection of our shared human experience: our capacity to feel, empathize, and to love.
Connecting with this energy helps us understand ourselves as well as others on a deeper level, nourishing our innate empathy and compassion. When we are feeling lonely, it is this understanding that’s missing, isn’t it? We yearn for more than the presence of others but the resonance of our emotions and experiences—the shared heartbeat of human existence. This is what we will share in the Revibe Retreat.