Be where you watch the News. Have the screen off.

Take a breath. It is how you breathe. They are both different, yet entirely the same. Breathe a breath. Hey did you know that “fight or flight” is soooo real that when you get super stressed-out your hair turns gray because your body becomes so efficient at using all of its available expendable resources it even uses the very last bit of its hair follicle melanin left in your scalp to turn to fuel to stay alert and survive? It’s true. Google it later maybe.

The bold text is like the news, right now. The non-bold text is what you know you need to know— but how can we practice?

Okay. Here’s a secret tip that we all have enough time and panic to practice.

Start a timer. 1 minute. Silence. Just breathe. Whatever. Just be sure you’re breathing. Perhaps you day dream for that minute or look around the room, but you can feel your chest, and you just breathe a breath. For the whole minute. Just realize each breath, maybe even count each breath, that you take for that minute. Maybe your breathing even starts slowing down as time passes. For that minute. Maybe breathing becomes the same and consistent.

When the timer goes off, If you so choose: turn on your news outlet of choice (pro-tip: turn on the news outlet of your ideological opposite choice).

The news.

Watch. And breath. Watch. And breath.

The news.

Maybe even count your breath. Does your breathing feel different now? Maybe your shoulders have suddenly risen against your neck. Maybe your breathing becomes different or changes. Maybe there is a pause that occurs between the inhale, delaying the exhale. Perhaps, perhaps it’s something different. Maybe quicker, shorter, or just uncomfortable.

You noticed your breathing has changed.

Congratulations. So turn off the TV. Turn off the TV- – and breath again.

Just breath.

Regain your original breathing pattern. Just take the time to return to how you were breathing before the TV. Before. That minute.

However you were breathing before, in what ever way that was more comfortable, remember that way.

Maybe realize that all of those terrible terrible terrible things on the tv can not change anything about where you are sitting right now, breathing, and maybe realize that nothing about where you are sitting right now can change anything about what is on the tv. You are just breathing.

Breath.

Regain your breathing pattern.

And then turn the tv back on. And try to breath.

And repeat.

Until your breathing never changes.

I know. It sounds sadistic. Mindfulness practicing with horror?

No. It is mindfulness with radical acceptance of reality.

And trust me, that’s what you’re practicing anyway.

Stay safe, with your mouths covered and hands washed!

With your health in my heart, Looking Forward!

*to those gurus who correct me about the definition of mindfulness, I am grateful for their reminder to breathe.