Can you practice meditation and still be a jerk? “Yes” was the unfortunate conclusion that Dan Harris (@danharris) came to. But let’s back up a bit. After he had an on-air panic attack when he was a TV news anchor, he took up meditation to regain his calm. It worked, and he even became a well-known meditation advocate. Harris assumed that all of his hours on the cushion made him a better person, but when he asked family, friends and colleagues to evaluate his behavior, they reported that he was often insensitive and dismissive of them 😳😰. So how do you stop being a jerk? For Harris, what worked was doing a form of meditation called “loving-kindness” — where he extended love towards himself and others 🧘. After he started doing this every day, he not only quieted his inner critic but also had more space and care for the people in his life. “Self-love — properly understood not as narcissism but as having your own back — is not selfish,” Harris says. “It makes you better at loving other people.” Want to learn more? Go to the link in our bio to watch his full talk (which, btw, is very funny). PS: How do you show yourself some kindness? Tell us in the comments 👇#WorldMentalHealthDay