When the News Is Too Much: A Meditation to Care and Still Rest

0:01Hi, I'm Steven Webb.

0:03Welcome to a meditation for the moment we hear something on the news and we start to feel worthless, angry,

0:11or helpless.

0:14And in this meditation, we'll breathe in the suffering and breathe out the compassion.

0:19It's using a form of Tonglen meditation, and in doing that, we just nudge the needle a little bit towards

0:28a more compassionate world.

0:31So allow yourself to become comfortable in whatever position you choose.

0:36And while you're doing that, I just want to frame something.

0:41When we talk about the news, we're talking about what we see on social media, what we see on the television,

0:51what we hear from our friends.

0:55It all feels a little overwhelming at times.

0:58And especially when we have a big heart and we care a lot and we want to help, we want to do something

1:06about it.

1:08As we continue to settle in, you don't need to do anything with your breath.

1:13I always believe the body knows how to breathe.

1:17It's only when we get involved, it kind of messes up.

1:23We just bring our awareness to the breathing in and the breathing out.

1:40And the same with the relaxing.

1:41The body knows how to relax.

1:43We just invite and allow the body to do it.

1:47So we can do that now.

1:49We can start with the top of our head, our face and our jaw, shoulders and arms, hands, our belly and

2:04our legs, all the way down to our feet.

2:08Breathing in, calm.

2:10Breathing out, relax.

2:14And the universe has this moment for you.

2:18You don't need to do anything with it.

2:29And just think of a moment recently where something you saw or heard, and it just landed within you.

2:37Just notice that.

2:38No need to picture it again.

2:42Where did it sit?

2:43Heavy.

2:45Was it in your shoulders?

2:47Was it in your jaw?

2:50Maybe it's in your stomach.

2:59This is to recognise that it affected us.

3:05And it affected you because you care, and because if you could do something, you would.

3:15And if you didn't care, you wouldn't be affected, you wouldn't be bothered by it.

3:23And here's a breath that might help yourself, and it might help those affected.

3:30As you breathe in, say inside, "This is hard."

3:35And as you breathe out, say inside, "May they be safe."

3:56Breathing in.

3:57This is hard.

4:04Breathing out, may they be safe.

4:12You don't need to change your breath.

4:13Do it as your breath is doing it.

4:23And everybody who read or seen the same headline today, somewhere breathing with us right now.

4:33Breathing in.

4:34This is hard.

4:39Breathing out, may they be safe.

4:50And we'll do a little of that out breath for you too.

4:55The one listening, the one who's carrying this.

5:01So when you breathe out, say, "May I be safe."

5:13May I be safe.

5:18And now we widen it a little.

5:22Right now, somewhere, someone is making a neighbour a nice cup of tea, a nurse is starting her night shift.

5:32Someone is walking a dog in the pouring rain and laughing about it.

5:38A child is laughing, perhaps uncontrollably, the way children do, and an adult is doing something silly

5:45to make it happen.

5:49And right now there are communities all over the world coming together.

5:55Sometimes we forget this when the news is consumed by a certain bias.

6:07To phrase it another way, the fire gets the pictures.

6:13The people carrying the water don't.

6:18And they're out there too, millions of them.

6:23So we can breathe in.

6:25The fire is real, so is the water.

6:36The fire is real.

6:42So is the water.

6:49And the real thing you can do is this one small thing within reach today.

6:56Not everything, just one small thing.

6:59A message, a donation, a kindness.

7:03Whoever's in the room with you, just a little moment of silence to recognise the pain and suffering, and

7:12recognising all the good.

7:14Recognise that so is the water.

7:29And if nothing comes, that's fine too.

7:34Not every headline needs an action from you.

7:40Sometimes just knowing is enough.

7:44And sometimes not even knowing is enough.

7:53Sometimes the suffering just needs to be felt and then put down.

8:05So as we're closing this meditation, say inside slowly, "I can care and still rest."

8:20I can care and still rest.

8:43And we're gonna end with three wishes for whoever needs them today.

8:53And we just feel them throughout our whole body as they land in the most beautiful, comfortable way.

9:01May they be safe.

9:07May I care without drowning.

9:15May I put it down when I've done what I can.

9:25May they be safe.

9:34May I care without drowning.

9:43May I put it down when I've done what I can.

9:49The world will still be there when you open your eyes.

9:54It was there before.

9:58But now we just practice first, news second, if you can manage it.

10:05Even just a breath or two before the day starts, just before you turn on the headlines, just to breathe

10:13and recognise it's not yours to carry.

10:24So I'm gonna guide you back now.

10:29So five, just become aware of the room.

10:33Four, become aware of your breath.

10:37Three, just gently open your eyes.

10:42Two, shake out your arms and your fingers and your toes.

10:45And one, look around and just feel that all the problems of the world are not yours to carry, and that's

10:56okay.

10:59Sometimes you don't even need to know.

11:05Thank you for sitting with me today.

11:07It really does mean a lot, and all these meditations are brought to you free through the kindness of people

11:13who just donate a coffee.

11:16And if you'd like to support that or find out about my other podcast, Stillness in the Storms, the one

11:22that helps people through difficult times, head over to stevenwebb.uk.

11:26And thank you.

11:29Namaste.