
A Meditation to Allow Genuine Happiness, Even In Hard Times
From 12 Minute Meditation by Mindful.org
March 27, 2026 · 14 min
About this episode
Wendy O'Leary shares a guided meditation to help cultivate genuine happiness during difficult times.
When we are going through a difficult season personally, or we are bearing witness to the pain of others, our relationship to genuine joy or happiness can get complicated and confusing. Happiness can feel out of reach, or it can feel like a betrayal, like it's something we don't "deserve" in hard times. But strengthening our ability to notice and soak in moments of beauty, tenderness, connection, and gratitude can actually have a fortifying effect on us. It can help us build resilience and fill our empty emotional tanks—which can foster our own healing and make it possible for us to show up in healing ways for others. This week, teacher Wendy O'Leary shares a guided practice to tune our attention to the reality that shimmers right alongside our genuine seasons of struggle. Wendy O'Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children's books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate with expertise in teaching emotional resilience to children and adults. Her next publication is a card deck for children titled "Let's Grow Happiness," created in collaboration with her colleague Helen…
People in this episode
Guest: Wendy O'Leary
Topics covered
- genuine happiness
- emotional resilience
- mindfulness
- self-compassion
- healing
- gratitude
Keywords
- meditation
- happiness
- resilience
- mindfulness
- self-compassion
- gratitude
- emotional healing
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mindful.org
Products: Let's Grow Happiness
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
- A 12 Minute Meditation to Make Movement Mindful · June 12, 2026 · 15 min
- A Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners · June 5, 2026 · 10 min
- A Meditation to Bring Comfort and Kindness to Pain and Illness · May 29, 2026 · 15 min
- A Meditation on the Art of Stopping (Extended Version) · May 22, 2026 · 21 min
- The Art of Stopping (Micro-Practice Version) · May 22, 2026 · 6 min
- A Meditation on Working With Our Fear And Parenting From Love · May 15, 2026 · 13 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 12 Minute Meditation podcast page.