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Twenty years ago, Dan Harris seemed to have it all: He joined ABC News in 2000 at age 29, covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as other historic events around the world.
What viewers didn’t see was the turmoil behind the scenes: Harris suffered from depression during his time as a war correspondent and anxiety from working in a high-pressure industry, and he tried to survive by using cocaine, ecstasy and prescription sleeping pills.
It all came crashing down on June 7, 2004, when Harris had to fill in for anchor Robin Roberts on Good Morning America.
Harris, who suffered a nationally broadcast panic attack while covering a breaking news story, wrote in her 2014 book, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Really Works, that her experience of a nationally broadcast panic attack was “the direct result of a long period of non-thinking, during which I was focused on career advancement and adventure, almost to the expense of everything else.”
But as scary as the moment was, it sparked a journey that took him from suffering, substance abuse and meditation skepticism to mindfulness and a complete career overhaul. Now, his work focuses on meditation and well-being, and helping people who suffer from the thinking traps that prevent them from living a more mindful life.
Courtesy of Dan Harris
Harris said he typically tries to meditate for a total of one hour each day.
It took him several years to find meditation, after trying a variety of psychiatrists and therapists. Before he started meditating in the summer of 2009, “I didn’t really understand anything about it other than a basic reflexive hostility,” he says. “Not only had I been raised by atheists, but they were recovering hippies. They made me do yoga, they made me go to health food stores with granola, they did a lot of camping. I found all of that stuff really annoying.”
Raised by scientists, Harris was convinced after seeing the scientific research on meditation, which has shown it can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and ease anxiety and depression. It’s also scientifically proven that regular practice can rewire areas of the brain associated with stress, focus, compassion, and self-awareness.
Harris also credits the work of Dr. Mark Epstein, a Buddhist psychiatrist then practicing in Manhattan, and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a scientist who teaches a secularized form of Buddhist meditation and professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. (In the preface to the recently published 10th anniversary edition of his book, Harris acknowledges that the focus on Western scientists and gurus has marginalized the contributions of Asians and Asian Americans, an error he has been complicit in and has tried to right.)
Dan Harris/HarperCollins Publishers
Harris recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of her #1 New York Times bestselling book, “10% Happier.”
Harris himself is now a meditation expert. “I feel less controlled by my impulses, thoughts and emotions,” he says. “When I mess up, I’m quick to apologize. I’m able to focus on a basic calm that I didn’t have before.”
As for the benefits, he noted that perfection isn’t included. “I still have the ability to be a goofy person,” he added. “Rather, it’s more like I can get better at it with a little bit of effort over time, and that effort adds up, about 10% more each year.”
Speaking to CNN, Harris outlined some common barriers to trying meditation and offered ways to overcome them.
One of the most common excuses for not meditating is not being able to concentrate or sit still, but Harris argues that if you find yourself getting distracted while meditating, that’s actually “a sign you’re meditating right.”
He added that being easily distracted is a beneficial evolutionary aspect of humans because it keeps us safe: “It’s impossible to clear your mind unless you become enlightened or die.”
So “actively looking at distractions is evidence of success,” he added, “because what you want over time during meditation is to understand how the mind works.”
“The essence of meditation is not to stop thinking, but to focus on one thing, usually the breath going in and out, and then every time you get distracted, you start over and over again,” Harris says. “And that starting over is like a bicep curl for your brain, and that’s the mechanism by which the brain changes.”
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Getting comfortable with the fact that you’re thinking is key to developing the skill of recognizing thoughts and feelings and intentionally choosing what to do about them, rather than reacting unconsciously and automatically. This is like exercising for the first time; it may be hard for the first few weeks, says Harris. After that, it may get easier, but it never should.
Some people may not have the time or know where to start, but if you want to build a habit, Harris says it’s best to start small.
He recommends starting with just one minute of meditation each day for a couple of weeks, then increasing the time. Over time, you may find that you shift from extrinsic motivation — being encouraged to meditate or reading a study about it — to intrinsic motivation because you feel like meditation is helping you, which helps you maintain the habit.
There are plenty of free or inexpensive resources to help you get started, he says, including apps, YouTube, Harris’ own website, and books. Also, some cities have meditation and mindfulness centers where you can learn from a teacher and practice with others. This is another great way to stick with the habit, as it keeps you accountable.
Harris said some people believe “the only way to survive is to be on edge all the time” to avoid losing their edge or ambition.
But consider the list of notable successful meditators, including athletes, musicians, TV hosts and business executives, such as LeBron James, Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington, Jerry Seinfeld, LinkedIn Chairman Jeff Weiner and ABC News host George Stephanopoulos.
“Do these people seem to have lost their edge,” Harris said. “Do you think that if they were more focused, less emotionally reactive, a little more calm in stressful situations, they would lose their edge? No, in fact, the opposite is true.”
read more: One habit may help you reduce your fear of public speaking, criticism, and failure.
Harris’ own story is proof of how reaching a healthier state can change our relationship to and values at work, and how success in that new reality, while different from what we imagined or planned, can be better and more fulfilling.
“This is not the type of success I had hoped for prior to this plan. I wanted to stay in network news and climb as high as I could,” Harris said. “But this has opened up whole new territory for me. I’ve published a book, I have my own podcast and social media feeds, the opportunities continue. I’m starting a company and exploring new ones.”
“The possibilities are far greater than I ever imagined, and my ambitions are no less.”
