Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider

Am I doing enough?

Am I doing too much?

Why does everyone on my feed have an opinion and why does it all seem so urgent?

I'm setting out to find some answers.

I'm Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider and this month on my podcast, TED Health, I'm investigating the intersection of health and parenting, getting practical tips to hopefully ease your parenting anxieties and help your kids feel calmer too.

I'll share actual science stats and researched ideas from experts discussing everything from what happens when you let your kids roam free to how adolescent brains work to how you can best model healthy lifestyles for your little ones.

Listen to this series only on TED Health.

This is TED Health, a podcast from TED, and I'm your host, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is to go through an entire day without a real conversation.

You know the kind I mean, not just a quick text or a passing like, hey, how are you?

I mean an actual moment of connection where someone really sees you.

We're recording this episode in January and I see this trend happen more and more in the wintertime.

Many of us are spending more time indoors as the weather gets colder.

And sometimes the holiday season can leave us with amplified feelings of loneliness for those who are far from family or going through a difficult time.

If that's you, know that you're not alone.

Because according to experts, it turns out many of us are missing this kind of deeper connection a lot more than we'd like to admit.

And from a health perspective, social isolation really, really isn't good for us.

In this week's episode, I'm excited to bring you a conversation with Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States.

Dr. Murthy is a physician and public health leader.

He's also been sounding the alarm about what he calls the loneliness epidemic in the U.S.