Mental health and burnout: 8 tidbits from Dan Harris’ keynote

It feels as though the employee benefits industry is constantly moving and changing, which can be  overwhelming for employers and employees alike. In fact, according to a report, over half of Americans experience burnout. Dan Harris addressed mental health and burnout during his keynote at the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo, held in Chicago April 28-30.

Harris spent 21 years as a news anchor and correspondent at ABC News, where he hosted Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America. While working in the news industry, he spent years covering war-torn countries, leading to bouts with depression and self-medication with recreational drugs.

See also: ‘Silent burnout’ & mental health leave: a growing HR problem

His drug usage and stressful lifestyle contributed to a very famous panic attack live on air. Harris says not only was this the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to him, but he feared at the time that his career was over. In the wake of this moment, he began exploring meditation as a practical tool rather than a mystical practice, which led to him publishing the #1 New York Times bestselling book, 10% Happier, and his podcast, 10% Happier.

Here are 8 nuggets of wisdom from his BenefitsPRO Broker Expo keynote:

1. Ease up on yourself. There are lots of little modalities that make your life marginally better. You don’t have to worry about being perfect and you don’t have to worry about making mistakes. It’s going to happen.
2. The goal of meditation is not to clear the mind. It’s to focus the mind for a few nanoseconds at a time on something like breath. And every time you get distracted, you start again, and again.
3. The moment you wake up from distraction is proof not of failure, but of success.
4. The most powerful way to get happier is relationships.
5. Be kind—that is the best buzz available.
6. Taking care of yourself is a public service to the other people on your team.
7. Learn to talk to yourself like a good friend. You can channel that and direct it back at yourself.
8. Pick one thing and start really small. Do not try to do too much at once because that is a good way to burn yourself out. You can make massive changes by starting small and growing from there.