Overcoming Viral Reactivity
“So take good care of your time. Watch how you spend it, for nothing is more precious. In the twinkling of an eye, heaven can be won or lost.”
Are you a news junkie? Most days I wish I wasn't but I have to admit it. I am. Especially right now when the news hits me like a full body blow every time I turn it on.
"Junkie" is an appropriate term for it, don't you think? And social media just makes the addiction worse. We are being programmed to react on an unconscious level moment to moment as our screens display words and images that tug on our most basic fears and desires. It’s a meditator’s nightmare.
Practices like meditation, yoga and centering prayer are all designed to help us get out of that anxious state of automatic reactivity so that we can know what is really true and respond to reality in a creative, compassionate way.
When I find myself caught up in the daily BREAKING NEWS drama or endlessly scrolling for a bit of GOOD news, it’s a signal for me to unplug from it all at least long enough to get my bearings. It is in chaotic times like these when the ancient Lenten practice of fasting can be especially beneficial. Among other things, it trains us to replace being on auto-pilot with intentionality.
Being intentional about what we feed our minds is just as important as being intentional about what we feed our bodies. That is not to say we should be irresponsibly uninformed but there is such a thing as too much, even of good things, whether it’s food or information or anything else.
As important as it is to wash our hands to prevent the spread of viruses, it is also important to wash our minds, and our hearts, by connecting to what I like to call the Great Mystery on a regular, consistent basis to prevent the spread of viral reactivity.
The “need to know” must be balanced by an un-knowing — a letting go of habitual ways of thinking, feeling and behaving — to just be. What practices help you to let go and un-know? How do you stay centered and grounded in turbulent times? Feel free share in the comments below.