There’s a talk radio station on the air 24/7. Spewing out negative messages, it drones on constantly: “There you go again,” “You never do anything right,” “You’re not good enough.”
Despite its dismal programming, it’s quite popular. I’ve heard it for years. Lots of my friends listen to it–and we’ve all tried different ways to turn it off. Amy blocks it out with workaholic behavior. As long as she’s working on a project, rushing to meet a deadline, she doesn’t hear the station. Cindy’s a compulsive caretaker, cramming her schedule with other people’s needs, rushing through her days a blur of activity until she collapses in exhaustion. And then the radio starts up again. Many of my students drown out the station with technology, incessantly texting, checking Facebook, and surfing the Internet. Jon Kabat-Zinn calls all of this the “doing mode.” But this incessant “doing” only blocks the radio signal temporarily. The moment we stop, Bad News Radio is on the air again.
There is a better way. As Dan Siegel explains in his book, The Mindful Brain, we can 
turn the station off by reprograming our brains, overcoming “derogatory internal voices or emotional reactivity” with consistent mindfulness practice. We do this by focusing on our breathing, watching our thoughts flow by without getting caught up in them. Starting our day with a few moments of mindfulness– as little as five or ten minutes–brings a sense of attunement that can carry us through the day with greater clarity, coherence, and peace of mind. And by pausing to breathe when we find ourselves caught up in stress or self-accusation, we can regain our inner balance.
The next time you find yourself listening to Bad News Radio, stop.
• Take a deep breath, and tune in to your body.
• Feel your feet on the ground.
• Let your awareness move up through your legs and hips, then your back and shoulders, breathing into any tension you may feel there.
• Gradually move your awareness to arms and hands, then your neck and head.
• Take another deep breath and feel yourself here, in the present moment.
Then return to your day, letting the wisdom of mindfulness guide your actions.
Namaste,
Diane
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
Siegel, D. J. (2007). The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivation of well-being. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Quote on p. 279.