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In this episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast, Holly & Holly invite you into a conversation  surrounding the idea of wild birds as companions, and specifically how birds may offer the opportunity to ease feelings of loneliness and boost our feelings of connectedness. 

We discuss the US Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory on the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation and lack of social connection in the United States  and wonder if birds might be an antidote?  

 In the Mindful Birding Nerding Segment, Holly Thomas explores the connection between mindfulness and loneliness, and dives into a study that examines how mindfulness training may offset feelings of loneliness and cultivate acceptance and equanimity. Holly carries the study's outcomes a step further and into Mindful Birding, and explains how Mindful Birding garners some of these same benefits. 

Holly Thomas shares an inspiring excerpt from the Stephen Batchelor book The Art of Solitude 

 In the Joy of Birdsong, Holly Merker shares a winter soundscape from her backyard in Pennsylvania, and wonders if birdsong can alleviate not just winter doldrums, but also seasonal affective disorder. 

Intro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Intro Birdsong & Clips throughout : Western Meadowlark
Outro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Outro Birdsong: Eastern Meadowlark
Mindful Birding Network Website
Instagram: @mindfulbirdingnetwork
Produced by Co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas