Dealing With News Anxiety

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed by the news and media then switch off and tune in to this meditation designed to counteract the anxiety generated by mass media and the news cycle. Step out of fear-mongering and into the present using the tools of mindfulness.

Transcript

Good morning,

Good afternoon,

Or good evening.

I hope this meditation finds you well.

And before we even get started,

I want you just to get in a nice comfortable seat,

Or even lie on the ground.

It's been a crazy last few years,

So I think you can be forgiven for taking a little time out.

Get nice and comfortable,

Get totally relaxed.

Like I say,

The last few years have been so trying on all of us.

There's been threats not just to us personally,

But to all of humanity.

To add to that threat,

We have a 24 hour news cycle that is more than willing to let us know just how much trouble we're in all the time.

It's always ready to feed the beast of worry and anxiety.

Now when we think about how our brains operate,

We realize we do have a problem.

Our brains are designed to see threat.

They have this negative bias,

They have this salience response,

Which is very good for checking out threats that are in our environment and making us prepare for that.

Now that is all good and well for our ancestors.

In fact,

That's what kept them alive and allowed them to produce the beautiful being that is you.

But here's the thing,

Our ancestors were only worried about things that were happening right there and right then.

They were only worried about their immediate environment.

They weren't worried about what things were happening 100 miles from them and they weren't worried about things that were happening 100 years from them.

We start to realize that the current state of events means that we're worried about,

Well,

Everything.

And this is chronic anxiety.

The impact on our body is pretty terrible and we need to do everything we can to make sure that we don't fall foul to feeling like we're under threat all the time.

So what can we do about it?

What are the lessons we can learn from our ancestors?

Well,

First we need to see what the problem is.

If the problem is the news and the world telling us that we're in threat all the time,

That we need to worry about our future all the time,

Then maybe we need to take a break from it.

Maybe we need to stop worrying all the time.

And if worry is connected to being in the future and thinking about what may happen,

Then maybe we can start to think about what is happening right now.

And that's where meditation can be so useful.

Not to think about the future,

But to rather think about the present.

So join me now as we do that.

Now during this meditation your brain may want to go back to the future and worry because we're so used to it.

But we have a cool countermeasure to that.

I simply want you to become aware of any time that happens.

And in doing so,

You're becoming aware of the present.

You're becoming aware of that present moment where your brain wants to worry.

And when it does and you become aware,

You just bring your mind back to these present moment things that we're going to talk about now.

So what is happening right now?

Well right now you're breathing,

You're living,

And you're thinking.

So we're going to take turns focusing on these things.

A toolkit for you to go out into the world and use whenever you want.

So let's start together with that breathing.

Now if you're not breathing,

I would strongly suggest you start.

It's a great thing.

But let's breathe in a particular fashion.

Let's breathe in through the nose and out through the nose.

Great stuff.

Now can you become aware of the pace in which you're breathing?

Is it short and sharp?

Or is it long and full?

I would like to suggest that you start taking deeper breaths in through the nose and out through the nose.

Nothing crazy.

Just allowing your lungs to expand fully and then breathe out all the air that you have.

Now becoming aware of your breath often makes you breathe deeper.

Which has a knock-on effect of making us feel more relaxed.

In fact it starts to release some of the opposite chemicals to what you release when you worry.

So really we're attacking this worry anxiety problem from a couple of different angles.

But for now we're not going to worry about worrying,

We're just going to think about our breathing.

So let's take a look at the breathing.

Now of course you may be forgiven for thinking that breathing is a very simple thing since it's happening all the time.

But in fact the process of breathing is pretty complex.

Now I'm not going to bore you with the science of what's happening,

But I want you just to feel different things that are going on.

Air is going through your nose.

It's traveling down your throat,

Into your lungs.

They expand.

They then contract and they push the air back out the same way they came in.

For these reasons you should feel that your chest expands each time you breathe.

But also that your belly expands since it's the diaphragm that's pulling the air in.

Can you start to notice these different places for your breath?

The tip of your nose,

The back of your throat,

Your chest getting bigger and smaller,

Your belly rising and falling.

These are all things that are happening.

You don't have to do anything.

They are just happening when you breathe.

As such there can be a great anchor into the present moment.

I personally find quite a lot of joy in feeling my breath.

It's such a lovely feeling having that air come in and go out.

We can extend this awareness now to the rest of the body.

Just in the same way you felt the breath come in into these different components of your body.

Can you start to feel the different parts of your body?

Your limbs,

Your extremities,

Also known as your legs,

Arms,

Feet and hands.

Now there's no magic potion to this.

I just want you to feel what you feel in those places.

How do your feet feel right now?

Are they cold?

Are they hot?

Are they in socks?

Are they pressing against the ground?

If so,

What part of the foot is pressing into the ground?

Can you immerse yourself in what the body is feeling?

Maybe you take your awareness to the hands.

Is there any tingling?

What temperature do you feel on the hands?

Is there any sweat?

No judgement.

Just noticing how these things feel.

Maybe you can feel the weight of your legs.

Maybe you've become aware that actually you've been tensioning your glutes the whole time.

Can you start to relax them?

Can you start to feel your body?

Can you connect with what your body feels like?

Can you feel the clothing draped over your body?

Can you notice how the air touches your body?

Again,

Becoming aware of your present moment.

Becoming aware of your own existence.

We begin to take this a little bit further.

We start to notice what we can hear.

Not thinking if the sounds are good or bad,

Frustrating,

Irritating or beautiful.

But rather thinking,

What are the sounds I can hear?

What is happening in my ears right now?

Can you hear the radiators?

Maybe the chatter outside?

A lawnmower?

Birds?

A TV in the distance?

Again,

Not worrying if this is something that's pleasurable or not,

But just enjoying the fact that you can hear.

Noticing what you can hear.

If your eyes are closed,

Open them now.

Start to notice the things you can see in your immediate environment.

The colours,

The light.

Can you become aware of the objects in that room?

In a way that you may not have done before?

Fully immersing yourself in this exposure of light.

We can do the same with the sense of smell.

Noticing any fragrances in the room.

Really looking out for the different tones.

Maybe for the first time today,

Noticing what that room you're in smells like.

Deciphering the world through the sense of sound,

Sight,

And smell.

And noticing each one of those things as they come up.

If you become aware of the sound,

Embrace it.

If you become aware of something you see,

Indulge in it.

As you do so,

Seeing this rich tapestry that is to live,

To experience.

Noticing how much right now can offer you.

Lastly,

Let's turn our attention back internally.

Lastly,

Let's turn our attention back internally.

Noticing what are the thoughts that come up in our head.

Just like we did with the senses,

Not noticing if they're good or bad.

But rather,

Noticing just what is happening.

Noticing thoughts for what they are.

Projections and spectres of our own mind.

Not necessarily real things,

But just creations.

Not holding onto them,

Not letting us take us on a journey into a train of thought.

Just noticing what that thought is that is happening right now.

And letting it fade away just as soon as it comes in,

Or as soon as it's ready to leave.

Becoming this observer,

Of your breath,

Of your body,

Of your environment,

And of your thoughts.

This is mindfulness.

This is our gateway into the now.

This is our countermeasure to worrying about the future.

This is our medicine.

So when you want to break the So when you want to break from the future and the anxiety that the world and the media are experiencing,

And the world is experiencing,

This is our mental state.

This is our mental state.

This is our mental state.

This is our mental state.

Can you take ownership of your own life?

Can you start to become aware of your own existence?

Can you become mindful of what is going on right here,

And right now?

Just like our ancestors.

Can you bring this mindfulness into the next interaction you have with a friend,

Of the world,

Of the past,

Of the present,

Of the future,

Of the future,

Of the future.

Can you bring this mindfulness into the next interaction you have with a friend,

A colleague,

Or even someone in the street?

Can you bring it into the next meal you have?

Can you bring this mindfulness into the next coffee you drink,

The next walk you take,

The next song you listen to?

So the next time we find ourselves engaged in this anxiety,

In this flight of fight mode,

Can we counteract by using mindfulness?

In a sentence,

Can we worry less,

And can we live more?

I hope this has helped you,

And I hope you use this going forward.

Namaste.

Reviews

Very insightful and supportive. Exploring the negative brain bias and including a mindful meditation to release anxiety and ground in the present moment deluvered in a kind and calm manner. Will return to this, thanks!

Doug uses his education to u derstand anxiety and worry. This was amazing and much needed. Thank you for providing me with something to let me mind breathe and find some inner peace if only for 15 mins.