Preceptor Wellness Minute

Staying Connected When We are Kept Apart

Yang (Shirley) Guo (Class of 2021)
Suzanne Harris, PharmD, BCPP, Director of Well-Being and Resilience
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

One of the greatest challenges in 2020 was the physical isolation from families and friends. Thanks to technology, we can still connect with our loved ones even when we are social distancing. Here are some questions developed by a social psychology researcher, Arthur Aron, that you could ask to bring you closer to your loved ones, even if you are separated:

When was the last time you sang to yourself? To someone else?
Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you want as a dinner guest?
Would you like to be famous? In what way?
If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you choose?
Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “we are both in this room feeling…”.
Name three things you and I appear to have in common.
If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

You can find some additional questions here. The key to getting closer is to take turns answering the questions, generating reciprocity of conversation.

Here is a podcast episode from the Greater Good Magazine: the Science of Happiness Podcast, during which a woman discusses her experience of answering these questions with her 82-year old father during the lockdown.