#47 - Dr Emma Woodward - Fixing Our Loneliness Epidemic

Why in this age of hyper connectivity and social media are we lonelier than ever? Regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or class, mental health for young people is getting worse. Not only do we see it in self-reported surveys, we see it in hospital presentations for eating disorders, self harm, intentional overdose and suicide attempts.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development found that the greatest impact on happiness, health, and longevity wasn't money, social class, or even healthcare access. It was the strength of our relationships.

Consider how much time you spend with your friends, your family, your spouse and conversely how much time you spend scrolling social media accounts.

We've lost so much community and undervalued the power of strong relationships. If you think this affects you, how much do you think it affects kids?

The process of forming relationships, through rupture and repair is critical to the healthy development and success of our children. But if we deprive them of the necessary unstructured, unsupervised device-free play, they will struggle to develop critical thinking and the ability to overcome conflict and adversity.

Joining me on this episode is Dr Emma Woodward. She shares her wisdom as a Child Psychologist and specialist in trauma informed care as well as her learnings as a mother to four sons.