The Negative Loop of Meditation

I start with an analogy; The going thought is an adult should drink about a half gallon of water per day. But if you drink it all at once first thing in the morning, you’ll feel bloated, you’ll pee most of it out, and if you don’t have anymore the rest of the day you’ll be completely dehydrated by evening. You need to be drinking water throughout the day to stay well and hydrated. Now think of meditating, which at the core is an attempt to be present, center yourself, and bring about positive feelings. If you do your 5 minutes or 55 minutes in the morning, and then go about the grind for the rest of the day, you’ll end up depleted. Instead, or in addition to this, new research shows the vast benefit of taking just 5 or 15 seconds here and there throughout the day, to “microdose mindfulness.” This is more than just thinking of something you’re grateful for, but to stop and focus on something positive and really feel it, whether it’s something you can actually see like a mountain or a flower, or it’s something you close your eyes to envision. My guest is Jake Eagle, who along with Michael Amster recently released their book, THE POWER OF AWE: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose—In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day, where they explain the why and how of this method for a five to fifteen-second, three-step process for “micro-dosing mindfulness,” where they discovered a clinically proven way to reduce inflammation, stress, loneliness, and burnout while improving overall well-being. Just hours before our recording, Jake sent me a scientific report that published earlier that morning. But along with this focus on awe and microdosing mindfulness, I also wanted Jake on the show because this was his response to my request to have him on the show - “I am 67, semi-retired, and wrestling with the reality that my old values no longer fit this stage of my life. I find semi-retirement to be quite a challenge and have not yet sorted myself out. I imagine a conversation with me may be potentially unsettling and raise more questions than it answers. Also, after having been a therapist for thirty years, I’m rather skeptical about many forms of therapy, because when I look at how people are doing—overall—I don’t think the trajectory is very positive.” Stay tuned for a very deep and candid conversation.

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