From ABC, it's the 10 percent happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, guys, happy holidays. We've got a little gift for you. It's a brand new bonus meditation. This has been, to say the least, and unusual and often deeply suboptimal holiday season. One way to counterprogram against the sadness or frustration or loneliness that you might be feeling is gratitude. I am not, to be clear, talking about reality, denying Pollyanna esque positivity.

Instead, I'm talking about tuning into the genuinely good things and great people who exist in all of our lives. We've all had benefactors, friends, family, mentors, colleagues, even just inspirational people in the culture, people who've gone out of their way to help us in one way or another.

In today's bonus meditation, Dr. Jay Michaelson is going to help us bring these people to mind as a way to cultivate the skill of gratitude. And it really is a skill that you can train. And it has been shown in study after study to benefit our mental health. Jay is a friend of mine. He's a deep and fascinating guy. You may remember him from the bonus episode a few weeks ago in The Nature of Happiness. He's also our editor of Wisdom Content at 10 Percent Happier.

And he's a prolific author, a former professional activist and an ordained rabbi. Dude wears many hats. Just one quick reminder before we jump in here, we've got a special series of New Year's episodes that begin next week. We hear a 10 percent happier are taking a counterintuitive approach to the new year.

You're not going to hear any of the usual New Year New you stuff. You know, here are all the things that are wrong with you and all the ways you need to change in twenty, twenty one. That's a pretty well-worn shtick. We're going to take a different tack built around self-love. We know that this notion can easily devolve into bathos or cheesy Fondo or passivity or self obsession. But trust us, I hope we've earned your trust by now.

We're going to tackle self-love and a cool and interesting and practical way. Next week, we're going to drop new episodes about self compassion, featuring Chromeo from Queer Eye on Netflix and a psychologist from Harvard by the name of Chris Girma. Also, starting on Monday, January 4th, we're going to be launching a free New Year's meditation challenge in the 10 percent happier app featuring meditation teachers such as Susan Piver, Tourie Sallah and Jeff Warren. To sign up for that challenge, just download the 10 percent happier app today wherever you get your apps or by visiting 10 percent dotcom.

That's one word all spelled out. OK, let's meditate. Here's Jay. Hi, this is Jay. There's plenty of data showing that experience and gratitude makes us happier, and one of my favorite ways to cultivate gratitude is by bringing to mind people who have helped me over the years. Let's try this together. First, let's just take a moment to settle into the body. Wresting the attention on the breath just to settle in. Now, I invite you to bring to mind someone who has helped you at some time in your life, for example, a teacher or a mentor or someone else who's played that kind of role.

Take some time to think of someone like this. If you can try to imagine them in your mind's eye, maybe looking at you or in a memory that you have with them. Don't worry about getting it perfect, just imagine them in your presence as best as you can, taking a moment to just be with them. Now bring to mind how they were supportive to you. If this person was a teacher, for example, reflect on the teaching which they gave to you or the support, the encouragement.

Just bring that to mind. Let's take some time to reflect on what you've received from this person. Pay attention to how it feels to contemplate this gift, really that you've received from them. Take a few moments to check that out. What does it feel like in the body? Holding this reflection for a moment. Turn the attention gently to your own being, your body, heart and mind. What does it feel like to feel gratitude? Before we close, take a moment to just reground your experience in whatever you're feeling right now.

And come back to the present moment, to this body, this next breath. If your eyes have been closed, you can open them when you're ready. Have a great day. Big thanks to Jay and happy holidays, everybody. Life is full of possibilities. You just need to know where to look now streaming on Disney plus is the movie critics are calling peak Pixar, Disney and Pixar. So is visually glorious and a joy to behold. People magazine says it's the best movie of the year, remember to enjoy every minute of Disney and Pixar social rated PG parental guidance suggested now streaming on Disney plus.