In this episode of The Wellness Plus Podcast, host Chelsea welcomes seasoned therapist, author, and podcast host MJ Murray Vachon to discuss "The Lonliness Epidemic" and the intertwined challenges of smartphone addiction. Drawing from her rich career, MJ shares expert insights and actionable strategies to combat loneliness, reconnect with yourself and others, and outsmart your smartphone for better mental and physical health.
We discuss the ongoing "Global Friendship Recession" and dive deep into the following topics:
🌍 The Loneliness Epidemic: A Report from America's Surgeon General.
📱Outsmarting Your Smartphone: Tips to reclaim your time and attention from addictive device usage.
🧠 The Science of Connection: How community impacts our well-being
🎯 Finding “Life-Giving” Activities: Rediscovering joy by identifying childhood hobbies that restore your energy and happiness.
🤝 Creating a Culture of Connection: How to foster meaningful relationships and engage with your community.
🌈 The Loneliness Spectrum: Exploring the differences between being alone, feeling lonely, and experiencing chronic loneliness.
🚸 Children and Early Exposure to Pornography: The impact of children accessing porn at a young age on their development and relationships.
🌿 Rediscovering Joy in Solitude: How to embrace being alone as a tool for personal growth and inner peace.
👨👩👧👦 Parenting, Discipline, and Screen Time: Understanding how parents’ own screen habits influence their children’s device use.
📵 Breaking the Screen Cycle: Practical strategies for reducing family screen time and creating healthier tech boundaries.
🛏️ The Impact of Screens on Sleep: Why removing devices from the bedroom is critical for mental and physical health.
🌟 Practical Steps: Start living a more connected, fulfilling life in a digital age.
We hope this episode inspired you to reflect, connect, and take actionable steps toward a healthier, more balanced life. Remember, every small change you make today can lead to a more fulfilling tomorrow. Stay curious, stay kind, and as always, stay well.
Guest Bio: MJ Murray Vachon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching mental wellness. She is the creator of Inner Challenge, a mental wellness program, and the podcast Creating Midlife Calm. Inner Challenge was incorporated into a junior high curriculum for 20 years and served as a course for freshman football players at the University of Notre Dame. Her podcast Creating Midlife Calm was honored as the “Listen of the Week” by Maria Shriver and The Sunday Paper on January 21, 2024. MJ has delivered more than 800 workshops and co-authored the book The Power and Pain of Nursing. She was also named Social Worker of the Year for District 11 in Indiana. While MJ is deeply passionate about her career, her family remains her greatest joy. She is dedicated to her husband Dominic, her children and their partners Nick, Madhura, Kit and Abby, and her grandson Neel.
If you would like to get in touch with MJ you can contact her through the links below;
Website: https://mjmurrayvachon.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/vachonmjmurray/
Email: mj@mjmurrayvachon.com
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