Calming Election Anxiety

Hello, it's Eve here. Welcome to this guided meditation designed to help calm any political worries, or anxieties you might be having. If you're feeling anxious right now, I'm sorry, but you've come to the right place. So there is no denying that we live in a pretty stressful world right now, and when we feel anxious, or worried, we can spend a fair amount of time imagining the worst case scenario, and this creates a lot of stress and tension in the mind and body, which can leave you feeling pretty overwhelmed. When things like elections take place, there is a fair amount that is outside our control, including the outcome. But it's worth reminding ourselves that just because we think something, it doesn't mean that it will happen. What we can control, though, is how we want to show up. Research has shown that the noting technique helps to decrease the intensity of our thoughts and feelings, so that we don't get so carried away by them, which means we can spend more time focusing on the things we can control, like voting, versus what we can't. So let's get settled for the practice, relaxing the shoulders, softening the jaw. If you're sitting down, bringing a little length to the spine, feeling the feet on the floor. And let's start by taking a couple of slower, deeper breaths. Nice big inhale. Nice slow exhale. And with the next out breath, gently closing the eyes, if that feels comfortable, or resting your gaze downwards. Breathing at your own rhythm and rate. And as we settle into the practice, taking a moment to appreciate that feeling of pausing just for a few moments, nothing else to do. Acknowledging how the body and mind feel in this moment. It's okay if the mind feels very busy. You're not doing anything wrong. Some days the mind is just busy, and other days, less so. And shifting the attention to the breath, that rising and falling movement in the body. Starting to notice the rhythm of breathing. And if you can't feel any movement, perhaps gently placing your hand on the stomach. With each breath, letting go of any chatter, letting go of any tension in the body, and in letting go, feeling a sense of space in the mind and body. It's really normal to get distracted. The mind is designed to think. But when you notice that you've lost focus, got caught in a thought, or a feeling, gently note the distraction. "Okay, thinking," or, "Okay, feeling," and come back to the breath. And it's a very gentle noting. I sometimes note by saying, "I see you, worry. "Thank you, but not right now," gently letting the thoughts, or feeling go, and coming back to the breath. There's no need to judge, or to criticize. It's actually a noting that we're acknowledging that thoughts, or feelings are arising, but we're not getting carried away by them. Letting go of any focus...