When it comes to news and public affairs, we live in wild times. It doesn’t matter who you voted for last November or which party you affiliate with. The fact is that this moment in history places a unique set of challenges on those of us seeking to cultivate mindfulness.
Consider our story. Following the 2016 Presidential Election, Nate noticed that tracking the news became a near addiction: “I woke up each morning with an irresistible urge to view the latest headlines. During short two-minute breaks in my day, I would reach for my phone to scan through breaking news updates. Even though the news left me feeling anxious, I couldn’t get enough of it.”
Eric’s relationship to the news took on a similarly habitual form: “I generally don’t watch a lot of TV and yet for the few months leading up to President Trump’s inauguration and immediately following it, I became a news junkie. What’s more, I thought and talked about the most mundane details of the day’s news incessantly.” Both of us noticed that the latest tweet or controversy not only took over our conversations with friends, family, and co-workers. It also started taking over our minds, becoming…
