#418: Esther Perel — Tactics for Relationships in Quarantine

You can't be feeling great at this moment. You're out of touch with reality if you're feeling great. You can feel relieved; you can feel thankful; you can feel appreciative for what you have; you can feel humble; you can feel thankful. But you can't feel great in this moment, because if you're feeling great in this moment, you're detached and disconnected.

If you don't feel that your life is important enough for you, sometimes it helps to know that at least it makes a difference for others.

Being healthy doesn't mean not having a virus; being healthy is being connected to all kinds of things in the world—nature, people, work, art. Purpose is the peace.

Dancing is extremely important at this moment [during the COVID-19 pandemic]—more than exercise. You can't dance and be sad. You can listen to music and cry; you can read and cry; you can draw and cry. But you can't dance and cry—the body won't let you.

What disruption and impending disaster does is it accelerates everything—it functions like an amazing accelerator. We all know that in the aftermath of this COVID-19 disaster, there will be more babies, more marriages, and more divorces.

Even if you feel that people don't love you or wouldn't love you or couldn't love you, there are still plenty of people who need you.

If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your family.

Peer connection is probably the most important thing that will help us in terms of mental health at this moment [during the COVID-19 pandemic].

All your resident fears—all those fears that live inside of you that are usually tucked away, I promise you they will come out in situations like this. It's the residue. The attic opens up.