Mindfulness in a Changing World

No matter what your political views are, this radical change in our nation has taken a toll on everyone. People who never followed politics before are now addicted to the news, not to miss the latest controversy of the day. (I have never traded watching “Scandal” for CNN before, and music in my car is second to the news channels. My kids are complaining.) The divisiveness between the two sides is worse than I have ever seen in my lifetime. I truly am making an effort to understand how those who have opposing views think, because I really want to understand what they see that I don’t.

While I vowed to not unfriend someone on Facebook for disagreeing with me, I was unable to keep that promise. An old friend (from 30 years ago), was trolling my posts and triggering me in a way that gave me no choice. I was truly shocked by the disrespect and insults that came from someone I thought I knew, and now it was personal. I realized how this climate and social media has been taking a toll on me. I had to kick my mindfulness practice into high gear, but first wondered what message this was sending me, and how could I make this an opportunity for something good.

I took this unfortunate event to take a hard look at my FB use, and how it was affecting me. I needed some time to disconnect, so I deleted Facebook from my phone. Consequently, I notice myself automatically going to check an app that is no longer there, but having a lot more free time. Breaking a habit is not easy, but I am mindfully disconnecting to preserve my sanity.

Mindfulness can be an anti-dote from the stress and anxiety that many of us are feeling. Not only is the world changing from a political standpoint, but the changes in technology are increasing  addiction to our devices. This combination is a recipe for anxious and reactive people.

Learning mindfulness and meditation doesn’t mean that we don’t experience stress or anxiety anymore. It means that we have tools in our toolbox to counteract the effects. The concepts and techniques of this practice have taught me to calm myself and relax my nervous system so I can function effectively and maintain my mental and physical health. Training the mind is something that we were never taught in school, and our brains don’t come with a user manual!

If you are interested in learning more about how to do this…

I can help. Feel free to reach out.