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When we feel cared for, our cortisol levels drop, we feel safe, and we handle stress better. Dacher leads a meditation to help us focus on the people who make us feel supported.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdezwwyd

How to Do This Practice:

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1. Find a comfortable position to start the practice. Focus on taking deep breaths.

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2. Shift your attention to your body, relaxing your jaw, shoulders and face.

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3. Begin to think about a friend who has supported you, or a friend who you feel grateful for.

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4. Reflect on how they have supported you and how that makes you feel. Notice how those feelings manifest within your body.

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5. Try shifting your attention to family members and/or mentors who have supported you in various ways.

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6. Complete the practice by acknowledging the ways these individuals have contributed to your life.

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Today\u2019s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC\u2019s popular online course of the same name. He\u2019s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the UC, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher\u2019s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Just One Thing: Feel the Support: https://tinyurl.com/yrfnmwfv

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zkjpj

Why Your Friends Are More Important Than You Think: https://tinyurl.com/mw2mr5p7

How Friends Help You Regulate Your Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/bdetmjt3

We love hearing from you! How do you feel supported by the people in your life? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p8kj22u

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p8kj22u

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout \u2014 we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more \u2014 what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.