How To Counteract Your Negativity Bias | Bonus Meditation with Kaira Jewel Lingo

Summary

Podcast Summary: "How To Counteract Your Negativity Bias | Bonus Meditation with Kyra Jewel Lingo"

Introduction

In this insightful bonus episode of 10% Happier with Dan Harris, host Dan Harris delves into the pervasive issue of the human negativity bias—the tendency to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones. Understanding and counteracting this bias is crucial for fostering resilience and enhancing overall well-being. To guide listeners through this transformative process, Dan introduces Kyra Jewel Lingo, an esteemed meditation teacher with a profound background in Buddhist practices.

Guest Profile: Kyra Jewel Lingo

Kyra Jewel Lingo brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to the episode. At 25, Kyra entered a Buddhist monastery following the Plum Village tradition, dedicating 15 years to monastic life. Now based in New York, she teaches and writes extensively on mindfulness and healing. Her latest work, Healing Our Way Home, co-authored with Valerie Brown and Marisela B. Gomez, explores the journey toward personal and collective healing. Kyra's deep understanding of meditation and mindfulness serves as the backbone of this episode's transformative meditation session.

Understanding Negativity Bias

Before embarking on the meditation, Dan Harris sets the stage by addressing the all-too-common feeling that "everything is going wrong simultaneously." He highlights how such moments are prime opportunities to cultivate gratitude, a practice often trivialized yet profoundly impactful. Dan emphasizes that gratitude, backed by substantial psychological and physiological research, can significantly alter our perception and response to adversity.

Guided Meditation with Kyra Jewel Lingo

Kyra leads a comprehensive meditation session designed to help listeners recognize and counteract their negativity bias. The meditation is structured to enhance self-awareness, foster acceptance, and nurture gratitude amidst challenges.

1. Settling Into the Present (00:01:40 - 00:02:30)
   Kyra begins by inviting listeners to ground themselves in the present moment.

   "Begin by settling into the body. Feel the breath. Notice how it connects you with your environment."
   [01:40]

2. Embracing Acceptance and Kindness (00:02:31 - 00:03:30)
   She encourages an open, accepting attitude toward one's current emotional state, including sorrow, frustration, and pain.

   "Allow its space to be here as you give your feelings time and space."
   [02:15]

3. Identifying Positives Amidst Negativity (00:03:31 - 00:04:30)
   Kyra guides listeners to recognize that even during difficult times, there are elements that are going well.

   "Notice what is happening even in the midst of this difficulty or pain that is going well either in your body or mind."
   [03:10]

4. Cultivating Gratitude and Self-Appreciation (00:04:31 - 00:05:30)
   The meditation shifts focus to self-appreciation and recognizing one's efforts to grow and maintain inner happiness.

   "Appreciate yourself for showing up here today... Feel the goodness of this impulse in you that brought you to meditate today."
   [04:45]

5. Anchoring Positive Intentions (00:05:31 - 00:06:30)
   Kyra concludes the meditation by encouraging listeners to anchor these positive intentions within themselves.

   "Feel it in your body and anchor it there. Open to it. Let it grow in you."
   [05:50]

Key Insights and Takeaways

• Duality of Emotions: Kyra emphasizes that it's possible to experience positive and negative emotions simultaneously. This duality is essential for a balanced emotional life and helps mitigate the negativity bias by acknowledging that not everything is negative.

• Acceptance Over Suppression: Instead of striving to eliminate negative feelings, the meditation promotes accepting them. This approach reduces their overwhelming impact and creates space for positive emotions to flourish.

• Active Cultivation of Gratitude: By intentionally focusing on what is going well, especially during tough times, listeners can retrain their minds to recognize and appreciate positive aspects, thereby diminishing the dominance of negative thoughts.

• Self-Compassion as a Foundation for Growth: Appreciating oneself for the effort to meditate and cultivate happiness fosters self-compassion, which is a critical component of emotional resilience.

Conclusion

This bonus episode of 10% Happier serves as a powerful tool for anyone looking to understand and counteract their negativity bias. Through Kyra Jewel Lingo's guided meditation, listeners are provided with practical techniques to embrace both their struggles and strengths. By fostering a mindset that balances acceptance with gratitude, individuals can enhance their resilience, improve their mental well-being, and cultivate a more optimistic outlook on life.

Additional Resources

For listeners interested in exploring more meditations and resources on combating negativity bias, Kyra Jewel Lingo's book, Healing Our Way Home, and other episodes featuring discussions with meditation teachers and scientists are highly recommended. To access more content, download the Happier app or join Wondery Plus for early and ad-free episodes.

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This summary captures the essence of the episode, focusing on the guided meditation led by Kyra Jewel Lingo and the strategies presented to counteract negativity bias. Notable quotes are included with appropriate timestamps to provide context and depth.

Transcript

[Dan Harris]

Wondery subscribers can listen to 10% Happier early and ad free right now. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. It's the 10% Happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey hey. It's bonus meditation time. You know how sometimes it feels like everything is going wrong simultaneously? It's in those moments when you need a little gratitude, which I just have to say on the subject of gratitude, it has been ground into a fine powder by the cliche machine. It's often served up to us with images of stacked rocks and latte foam art. But there's a ton of evidence that gratitude can have quite profound psychological and physiological impacts. So let's get into it now with our meditation teacher du jour, Kyra Jewell Lingo A little bit about Kyra Jewell before we jump in. At the age of 25, she entered a Buddhist monastery in the Plum Village tradition. She spent 15 years living as a nun. She's now based in New York where she teaches and writes. Her most recent book, co authored with Valerie Brown and Marisela B. Gomez, is called Healing Our Way Home. And you can hear all three of those ladies on a recent podcast episode. We did go check the feed or I will drop a link in the show Notes to this. Here we go now with Kyra Jewel Lingo.

[Kyra Jewell Lingo]

Hi, this is Kyra Jewell. We may believe that in order to be happy, our suffering has to disappear completely. But though you may be struggling in a time of transition or adversity, you can still be in touch with what is wholesome and good in yourself and around you. In fact, this is the moment you need it the most. Nurturing the good is crucial to your well being and resilience in the face of change and tumult. So let's give it a try. Begin by settling into the body. Feel the breath. Notice how it connects you with your environment. We'll begin by opening to what's here in the body and mind with whatever acceptance or kindness you can muster. If there is some sorrow, frustration or pain you're experiencing in your body or mind, allow its space to be here as you give your feelings time and space. Also, gently see if you can open to be aware of what is not going wrong. Notice what is happening even in the midst of this difficulty or pain that is going well either in your body or mind. Are you feeling some pleasant or neutral sensations in the body or even just appreciating the fact that you're showing up here right now? Feel into how both of these things can coexist the difficulty and the awareness of what is okay, what is good. Now I invite you to appreciate yourself for showing up here today, as well as the many ways that you're open to learning something in you is energetic and motivated to grow and deepen it. Cares about your own inner life, your own happiness. Feel the goodness of this impulse in you that brought you to meditate today, a kind of faith in yourself and your own inherent goodness. Feel it in your body and anchor it there. Open to it. Let it grow in you. You can transition out of the practice now by gently moving your body and opening your eyes if they were closed. Nice work. Thank you for your practice. See you next time.

[Dan Harris]

Thank you. Kyra Jewell. You can find more meditations like this one over on the Happier app. Just download the app wherever you get your apps to get started. If you like 10% happier and I hope you do, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondry. Com. Survey.