Blue Zones Project Blog

Sure, the kitchen is where you cook, but it can also be the heart of your home. It may be where you gather with family to share stories about your day over a meal. Or your kitchen may be the place where you share recipes, and good times with friends.  

Following her own sage advice and life-long professional career of helping others, Terri Merritt-Worden, Vice President of Operations of the Blue Zones Project by Sharecare, celebrated the start of retirement. Upon request for advice about wisdom accumulated during her career, Terri shared her top ten suggestions for leadership, well-being and health during a final good-bye with the Blue Zones Project team. Senior Project Manager, Mandy Butters codified these recommendations, which are good for anyone from youth to old age. Terri was a big fan of David Letterman, so in his style, here is her Top 10 List:

Positive emotions, calm feelings, warm connections, and good thoughts all contribute to excellent health. Healthy people typically enjoy good mental attitudes. The opposite is also true—namely, sad folks have more disease and misery. 

Third party validation based on legitimate metrics makes accepting positive change essential for altruistic leaders. Well-being and health can be measured and statistically improved using proven principles and processes. No longer will the tyranny of the present nor learned helplessness validate persistent misery and disease.

Therapies are constantly advancing, spurred on not only by new enabling technology but also sadly by increasing need. Two weeks ago, a paper entitled “Clinical Efficacy and Psychological Mechanisms of App-Based Digital Therapeutic for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Control Trial,” was published showing for the first time that digitally delivered mindfulness can be effective for treatment of anxiety.    

Why are some folks more creative, charismatic, and energetic at various times of the day? Are you a morning person or a night creature? If you have a difficult problem to solve, do you try to do it first thing in the morning or hold it until the still of the night? Do you fall to sleep easily or have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? 

It may be more deadly than obesity. It is a major risk factor for dying prematurely.  

This malady is called loneliness. It has been described as social pain, a psychological mechanism meant to alert an individual of isolation and motivate him or her to seek social connections. Loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotional response to isolation or lack of companionship. Concerningly, COVID has exacerbated the misery.