Trapped in The Churn Zone

The Churn Zone, video of Kailua Beach on a calm day, Kailua, HI,
April 2020, iPhone 11 Pro, © Steven F. Crisp 2020

Have all the developments of late got you trapped in "The Churn Zone"?  That's where you try to control your mind, but your mind doesn't let you, instead it keeps ruminating and catastrophizing.

Trapped by the constant onslaught of the latest infection counts and mounting deaths.  Roiling the mind, over and over, each breaking news alert triggering fearful fantasies about what the future might hold.

In some ways, this is a natural reaction to the unknown.  Fear has its place in evolution, helping ensure we take immediate action to live today so we can pass along our DNA.  But that flight-or-flight threat is not what we're facing.  There is something different going on here.

In today's hyper-connected world, we receive a constant churn from the news media, from our local and national governments, from well-intentioned friends over social media, and also from our own imagination.  This creates "The Churn Zone" in your mind.

But not unlike the video clip above, that is not the whole picture.  It is not reality.  It is possible to quiet your mind so that you can address the fear, the anxiety, and the cortisol and shallow breathing that come with those reactions, right here, right now.

As a first step, how about reducing your news consumption, and unsubscribing from social media feeds that help create this churn.

Then you can try sitting quietly ... taking a few long, deep breaths to relax the mind and the body.  Tune into your body and see where the tensions exist, and relax those as well.

Now, just quietly follow your breath.  Put your attention on your nostrils, and physically feel each breath that comes in and goes out.  When your mind starts to churn again, gently, kindly, bring your attention back to your breath.  And repeat for as long as needed, going deeper to "change the channel", so to speak.

This is one way you can quiet those churning thoughts in your head.  Look at the video, and notice how that churn zone is only where the waves meet the shallow depths of the shore line.
If you can get past the churn zone, you see the water is deep and clear and calm.  You have that reservoir throughout your body.  You can connect with those reserves through sitting meditation (breathing as above), and also by walking meditation, outside in nature, if possible.

Look deeply at Life as it is unfolding before your eyes.  That is Life, in the present moment.  The only place where Life exists.  Find the calmness that so easily lets the paddle-boarder remain balanced and upright, out beyond the churn zone.

Namaste.