Dr. Tara Narula

No, and I think I see it in all of those aspects in my patients.

I do have patients who've had something happen to them and they were in one career and they have said, you know, I am going to go back to school and study something else that I didn't pursue before, but now I'm going to do it.

Or other people...

who have been maybe miserable in their jobs, close to retirement, didn't want to retire, but say, you know what?

It's time.

I'm going to stop.

I'm going to travel.

I'm going to spend time with my husband and my dogs, and I'm going to enjoy my life.

So I think purpose can be as simple as that.

It can be as simple as finding what you want to do at that point in your life and going after it.

I think acceptance would be key of whatever your condition or state is.

But I think the social connection is a big one.

And that is the easiest one, I think, to start.

I mean, some of these tools are inward and some of them are external, right?

Some of them are, yes, flexible thinking and acceptance, but some of them are, you know, getting fit and getting up and exercising or eating healthier or sleeping more.

That's something that people can easily start to do is changing those little things in their lifestyle or reaching out and developing your social connections.

And it's maybe just saying, I didn't talk to this person in the last six months, but I've been wanting to.

I'm going to pick up the phone today and give them a call and have a conversation, you know?

And, you know, again, not to bring love back into this, but I think, you know, we all usually have someone in our lives, whether it is a sibling who is still living or a parent or your spouse.

And that love, that deep, intimate connection is something that we can, again, easily focus on and cultivate.