Approaching politics: calm your mind, then take on the world

During such times, and as we focus on global events, it can benefit us to look inward: to seek stillness and clarity. At first, that might sound impossible when the discourse is so rabid, and especially when we see political views escalate into violence. But meditation allows us to manage fears and feelings, and allows us to more effectively engage with the world around us — including politics. We can channel our anger or sense of injustice without being burned up by it. We can find room for understanding without climbing down. We can learn to be less reactive and more responsive in our commitment to stand up for what we believe in. With all this in mind, we’ve selected some meditations to help support you, wherever you are in the world, whatever the political climate, whatever your beliefs. They are intended to help you breathe, de-stress, and reset. By calming the mind first, we’re then in a good place to play our part in the pressing issues of these times.

• Feeling Overwhelmed SOS - give yourself a little space when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
• Managing Stress in Uncertain Times - bring a moment of calm and clarity to your day with a body scan meditation for stress relief.
• Find an Anchor in Overwhelm - our days can overwhelm us with a constant stream of information to process. But today, give yourself a break by focusing on just one thing.
• The Lotus Seed - ease an anxious mind and anchor yourself like the lotus seed with this visualization exercise that shines a light on the beauty all around you.

• Panicking SOS - in a fight or flight moment, anchor your mind and body in the present.
• Choose Kindness - practice setting firm, but kind boundaries with anyone who may be rude to you — and remember, there is often more going on behind the scenes than you may realize.
• Make Space For Your Feelings - practice setting aside anxious thoughts while still validating them, and guides us in a meditation for recognizing your feelings.
• Set Boundaries Around the News - it feels good to be up-to-date on the latest news, but there are negative effects of scrolling too often - here's how to set boundaries and a meditation you can use whenever you need to check in with yourself.

• Breathe Through Tension - when we’re carrying stress or tension, our breath can help us - create space for negative emotions and releasing them with compassion.
• Losing Your Temper SOS - take a deep breath and let go of whatever is causing you to feel angry or frustrated.
• Carrying Resentment - by learning to accept the pain we feel, we can begin to cultivate friendship towards ourselves and start to let go of the tight grip that resentment can have over us.
• Holding Opposing Emotions - give yourself permission to feel the full range of complex human emotions — even opposites that may arise simultaneously, like anger and hope, or joy and exhaust.

• Difficult Conversations - the prospect of a difficult conversation can drive feelings of anxiety and fear, but by lessening habits of reactivity and developing a calmer, more patient mindset, you can both listen and express yourself more clearly.
• Losing Your Temper SOS - take a deep breath and let go of whatever is causing you to feel angry or frustrated.
• Managing Conflict - more often than not, we go into conflicts looking to either blame another person or win an argument. Learn to put down your fixed position and create the environment for a calm, productive conversation.
• Collective and Individual Action - social ecology expert Dr. Nicole Ardoin explains how communities can become an inspired network of activists, where everyone brings their unique skills to the table.

• Fear of Change - navigating the fear and anxiety that can come with change, and guidance on how to accept the concept of impermanence.
• Shared Human Condition - whatever we're feeling - sadness, anger, happiness - that emotion is never truly ours alone.
• Uncertainty Doesn’t Mean You’re Powerless - a practice in sitting with the uncertainty in your life now and shifting your mindset back to your own agency.
• Cultivating Hope for the Future - social ecology expert Dr. Nicole Ardoin explains why a positive outlook on the future helps us become more effective climate activists.