Last night I picked up an issue of Prevention Magazine and there on the cover it said:

THE # NUMBER ONE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR HEALTH....Surprise---its not Diet or Exercise!

RECONNECT was the answer and the article that followed was amazing as I too have become a recluse. I'll try and give you the heart of the article. Studies show that the fewer connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the more likely we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety causing chemicals and die prematurely. Connectedness is as much a protective factor - probably more - than lowering your blood pressure, losing weight quitting smoking, or wearing your seat belt. Says pyschiatrist Edward M. Hallowell, MD, instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical school and author of:

CONNECT: 12 Vital Ties That Open Your Heart, Lengthen Your Life, & Deepen Your Soul.

(Pantheon, 1999)It's the unacknowledged key to emotional and psychical health, and thats a proven medical fact. This article was lenghtly and so what we are discussing in this post. I am ordering this book and strongly advise many of you do the same....