Well, Election Day has come and gone here in the United States, and we’ve all had a day to celebrate our candidate’s victory or lament his defeat.
But whether your contender won or lost last night, I can’t help but feel that a lot of us share at least one common sentiment . . . relief that the constant bombardment of negative campaign ads has come to an end.
I’d imagine that the frequency of the messages – combined with the amount of vitriol within many of them – might have exhausted even the most ardent of political junkies, much less the rest of us.
Now, I realize the campaign ads themselves are relatively minor in the grand scheme – not to mention temporary. But it’s the added negativity – so prevalent in so many areas, not just politics – that we really need to guard against.
And actually, we’ve been talking a lot about this in our Mindfulness webinar series. How can we meet each day, including the most stressful or disheartening parts of it, with a stable mind and a steady heart?
Just last night I hosted Jack Kornfield, PhD, and he shared some transformative insight about the ways we can move through each day, no matter what each one brings, with a calmer presence and a sense of greater peace.
I was especially moved by some thoughts shared by our listeners after the call.
Evelyn, a counselor from Wisconsin, shared her practice for finding calm throughout each day:
“Several years ago I started the practice of ‘minute meditations’ every hour on the hour … In the minute meditations, I just listen. Another practice that I do is to wait overnight before I send especially important responses to emails.” During a time when we might have heated disagreements with family and colleagues about politics, Evelyn’s strategy seems like inspired advice to me.
Of course, even when we consider our words carefully, it might be better to use no words at all. Christine, a counselor from Pennsylvania, shared this insight: “One thing I will do this week with my clients is invite them to sit quietly at the beginning of the session to tune in to the presence in their body … Sometimes I become impatient and this is a much more compassionate response and a way to model the mindfulness practice without a lot of verbiage.”
For our listeners – and for me, too – it was so restorative to hear Jack’s wisdom about how mindfulness can broaden our capacity for compassion and loving awareness.
If you want to learn more, check out our courses on mindfulness.
So do you (or any of your patients) rely on any aspect of mindfulness to get centered during a hectic day? If so, please tell us about it in the comments.
If you check out the “bible” DSM IV and specifically the definition of narcissism- this is why we are exhausted. We felt the incessant drain and our senses were bombarded with the constant rhetoric of the narcissistic EGO. Don’t like what you see out “There”- change in “Here”. This means our own induced beliefs science calls Epigenetics.
We are all mirrors of each other. Frankly as much as I love and rely on Mindfulness meditation personally… trying to influence someone who fits the DSM profile to use it is a challenge. In my career I have met many who believe Darwin’s theory of Survival of the fittest. This is a reflex many reach for be it stock broker or gang broker to justify domination. Try and get either to go into the void to find dominion. I have worked with both groups.
What does work is getting to the bare bones – beliefs formed 0- to 13 – Bruce Lipton of Biology of Belief fame says 6 but the teen is the awfullizer in us. Brain research holds a lot of answers: Mark Waldman – Daniel Amen – Andrew Newberg – Daniel Goleman and so many others offer this. This is left brain talk that frees the right brain to consider EMPATHY in making choices and impact. In making decisions what impact will these choices have upon community. The idea is to resurrect conscience.
Are there replays of the frees sessions offered on Wednesday? The time of presentation is not available to me and I’m so sorry to have to miss them.
Many thanks,
Amy
I practice heart breathing (HeartMath) in my minute meds and focus on “the better world our HEARTS KNOW is possible…” (C. Eisenstein). Easy do and easy to share.
In reference to the election, this is from someone in my octogenarian writer’s group…….
Exhaustipated !!
Here is a new word to add to your vocabulary.
It will be especially useful to we senior folk !!
Hi Ruth
I am so grateful for al the series your intitute is offering. I loved the title of your article. I am also grateful for mindfulness ,otherwise I will need a detox intervention to get over this political hangover. Continue the wonderful work. Stay present. Namaste
Aida Ramos
I apapceirte you taking to time to contribute That’s very helpful.
As an Australian, I didn’t receive all the adds, however I’m still high about the result – the rest of the world were voting for Obama. So my MQ (Mindfulness Quotient – just made that up), is a little lower as I’m allowing myself to stay high.
Gold Series is a great investment – all that wisdom from people who are centered and authentic and one can touch bases with them, not just their writings.