Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

Dr. Larry Berkelhammer

The purpose of this blog and the entire website is to provide evidence-based information on how to live a vibrant, meaningful life while living with chronic health challenges or other life challenges.

I post to this blog three times per week. Monday posts are evidence-based published articles on mindfulness research and mindfulness-based practices, especially as they relate to health. Wednesday posts are videos of my presentations or interviews. Friday posts consist of Q&A related to living a meaningful, values-based life, regardless of the nature of your particular life challenges.

Here is this week’s question:

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: You’ve mentioned the strong association between Meaning & Purpose and wellbeing. How can I get meaning & purpose?

ANSWER: Acquisition of a sense of meaning & purpose commonly results from a sense of belonging. Just being a valued member of some type of community or group confers meaning & purpose. When we feel valued by people who are important in our lives, we experience it.

Meaningful work also adds meaning & purpose to people’s lives. In fact, that’s why so many people do volunteer work. It’s not about the end result—it’s about pursuing what we value and having the sense that we are contributing to the wellbeing or health of others.

Personally, I find that even just puttering around in the garden adds to my sense of meaning & purpose.

This website is offered as a free public service, supplying information that has been found helpful to certain people living with chronic health challenges or issues related to wellbeing. No treatment is offered on this website. The advice is general, and may or may not apply to your individual situation, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.

What questions do you have about living a life of mastery or about the relationship between the mind and health or wellbeing?
Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box below. Your specific question may not appear in this column. The reason for that is I wait until I get a certain number of related questions, then I pick one that covers them all and I answer that one. People in my classes and presentations asked most of the questions appearing in this column.