Mindful Moment #49 - Unpress the Button

Unpress the Button

“Hot button” topics are hot. In more ways than one, right? Back when we read paper newspapers, they’d yell, “Hot off the presses!” when the news was spicy that day. Now we have all sorts of news (and news adjacent) outlets that thrive on “hot” news…to the point that some manufacture it.

As a fair-skinned person, when my temper gets riled up, my face, neck, AND ears turn red—if you get me going on some infuriating news story, I become physically hot. It’s embarrassing sometimes. I don’t play poker with people who know me well, because I get suckered into indignant, red-faced, pseudo-arguments that make me quit the game before I really want to. I try to choose peace or turn things into jokes or pretend not to care, but I confess to wearing my emotions on my sleeve.

Some people enjoy the challenge of “going to battle” over those hot topics. Some people are committed to doing so out of a sense of justice and going to battle is part of the task. But even justified rage depletes your energy if you are constantly partaking in it, especially without some sort of mindful renewal for your inner sense of calm. Burnout can be a side-effect of all the vitriol if you constantly engage in it, and this can affect your mental health, your relationships, and your career. Spiritually speaking, if you can’t disconnect from that “battle” mindset, you aren’t going to have space for epiphanies or awakenings or rest (yes, I think our souls need to rest as much as our bodies do).

Evolution as a species requires us to rise above the cycles we’ve been trapped in for centuries. It’s difficult to want to evolve when so many of our fellow humans refuse to even consider it, for whatever reason. It’s like we’re stuck running on a circular track, and we can’t break free without an earthquake or something dramatic to literally break the cycle out from underneath us. “Going to battle” is something that is ingrained into us as a relatively normal cycle we have to face as humans on this planet. It feels like we want to tamp down pursuing literal wars, but we have traded it for interpersonal warfare on some level. Maybe we aren’t all facing weapons, but our fight instinct can be triggered by anything perceived to be a threat. If anyone can turn a profit off of our instinct to fight, they will. And if we’ve stopped fighting, what’s a neat tool to tip us over into the scramble again? Those “hot button” distractions.

So, if you, like me, want to disengage from the constant button pushing and feeling angry all the time, while not totally abandoning reality, let’s try this meditation.
Find a quiet spot, but stay standing for now. Close your eyes. Soften your face. Take a deep breath.

The first thing we need to do is release the anger, the frustration, and the rage. If you can be loud, give yourself permission to be vocal with this step. I want you to plant your feet firmly and hold your hands at your sides. Clench every single muscle you can clench and hold it for at least a count of five. Then release all of those muscles with whatever vocalization you want to. If you can’t be loud, just exhale as deeply as you can. Take a deep breath and clench everything again, imagining all of your “fight” going into your fists, your feet, your jaw, your abdomen, your gluteus maximus, and your neck. Hold it. Then release all of those muscles, be vocal or deeply exhale. Imagine all of that pent up emotion being released from your body when you open your hands and soften your shoulders. Do the clench one more time, with the intention of letting all of the “fight” leave your body. Shake your limbs out and maybe do a few jumping jacks to really let that energy go. Now find a nice place to sit and be comfortable.

The second step is to heal the damage caused by that amorphous angry energy you’ve been carrying around. With your now relaxed body, imagine yourself being enveloped by a white misty light. It is cooling, but not cold. It soothes your skin and helps you breathe deeply. Take several deep breaths, expanding your chest and belly, and fully exhaling. With each inhale, envision this light being absorbed by your lungs, and carrying its healing energy throughout your bloodstream. With each exhale, envision all of your heated energy leaving and evaporating any negative emotions as it goes. Repeat as long as you feel necessary.

For the third step, I encourage you to fully lay down if you are able. This is a step to place a protection around yourself. Stretch your arms and legs out fully, and then let all of your muscles relax. Continue to breathe deeply. As you rest here, repeat any or all of these mantras, or create your own.

I am the creator of my own peace.

Not all of the world’s problems can be solved today.

I am able to direct my energy with intention and design.

I give myself permission to focus on facts, not distractions.

I will focus on work that serves reality and justice.

I embrace love, kindness, and empathy, including for myself.

My body holds space for the light of truth.

I am allowed to protect my well-being, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Placing boundaries to protect my sanity is valid self-care.

I hope you are able to hold yourself in a peaceful mindset when you feel those buttons getting pushed next time.

With all of my heart, friends,
Namaste

Amy

INSPIRATIONS THIS WEEK

We’re feeling inspired by these incredible and thought provoking pieces:

An Ancient Document Breakthrough Could Reveal Untold Secrets of the PastA new technique restores degraded and destroyed ancient documents to their former glory, giving us a better glimpse into the past.
Can dogs talk by pressing buttons? What science says about the debate.A new study has collected thousands of reports from the owners of “button” dogs, who believe their pets talk to them by tapping buttons with prerecorded words.
How to be more mindful by taking more selfiesMindfulness makes people take self-portraits with less self in them, according to new research. Here’s what that means.

That’s all for today, y’all – remember, taking time to focus on you is an act of love.

We hope you found this helpful – don’t hesitate to reply with any feedback on how we can improve future Mindful Moments! We can’t wait to hear from you.