Have Election Anxiety? These 5 Minutes Can Help.

Tue Nov 05 2024

Today, many of us are ruminating on an unknowable future. Eliza Barclay, a climate editor for New York Times Opinion and a certified mindfulness instructor, is here to help with that. In this 5-minute mindfulness meditation, she aims to help listeners ease their fears and anxieties about the election by drawing their attention to the present moment.

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Have Election Anxiety? These 5 Minutes Can Help"

Podcast Information:

Title: The Opinions
Host/Author: The New York Times Opinion
Description: One voice, one opinion, in 10 minutes or less.
Episode: Have Election Anxiety? These 5 Minutes Can Help
Release Date: November 5, 2024

Introduction to Election Anxiety

In this episode of The Opinions, the host introduces a timely and relatable topic: election anxiety. With the release date on November 5, 2024, coinciding with a crucial election day, many listeners are likely grappling with heightened emotions and stress.

Host Introduction:

"[00:02] Host: This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it."

Understanding the Emotional Impact

Eliza Barclay, the guest speaker, delves deep into the emotional turmoil that election day can bring. As the climate editor with Opinion and a certified mindfulness teacher, Eliza shares her personal experiences and professional insights on managing anxiety during such high-stakes times.

Eliza Barclay on Personal Experience:

"[00:15] Eliza Barclay: I've been teaching meditation on and off for about five years. I've been practicing meditation for over 10 years and have gotten a lot out of the practice."

She articulates the common feelings associated with election anxiety—nervousness, stress, confusion, and even physical symptoms like a stomach upset. Eliza likens this anxiety to the discomfort of a toothache, emphasizing how pervasive and bodily it can feel.

Eliza Barclay on Anxiety:

"[00:20] Eliza Barclay: Today is election day and I'm guessing that a lot of people woke up this morning feeling very anxious with lots of thoughts swirling around their heads... We have a lot of uncertainty. We really don't know what's gonna happen."

Mindfulness Meditation as a Tool

Recognizing the widespread anxiety, Eliza introduces mindfulness meditation as an effective tool to navigate these turbulent emotions. She emphasizes that mindfulness can create a mental space between the anxious thoughts and the individual's response to them, fostering calmness and presence.

Eliza Barclay on Mindfulness Benefits:

"[00:50] Eliza Barclay: There's an opportunity actually with mindfulness meditation practice to create a little bit of space between all those fearful thoughts... and create a little bit of calm by just paying attention to the present moment."

Guided Meditation Steps

Eliza offers a detailed, step-by-step guide to a basic meditation practice tailored for beginners. She ensures that listeners understand that prior experience with meditation is not necessary to benefit from this exercise.

Finding a Space and Posture:

"[01:05] Eliza Barclay: I recommend you just find a somewhat quiet space to do it in and a comfortable place to sit, bringing a sense of upliftedness to the upper body."
Body Scan:

"[01:15] Eliza Barclay: Beginning by doing a brief body scan, starting from the top of the head and just scanning down, noticing any tension... and just inviting the entire body to relax, let go and just relax."
Focusing on the Breath:

"[01:35] Eliza Barclay: Bringing the attention now to the breath. Noticing sensations perhaps in the nostrils or in the movement of the belly... just feeling the breath coming in, feeling the breath going out."
Handling Distracting Thoughts:

"[02:00] Eliza Barclay: We may discover that the mind is very busy, very active... It's not a problem. We just simply label this mental activity as thoughts."
Returning to the Breath:

"[02:10] Eliza Barclay: Just allow them to pass away and bring the attention back to the breath... simply noticing as thoughts arise, pulling our attention away from the breath, noticing without judgment."
Concluding the Meditation:

"[02:25] Eliza Barclay: Simply feeling this breath in this moment of now, feeling this out breath and in this final moment of meditation, just resting here in stillness, in presence."

Conclusion and Encouragement

Eliza wraps up the meditation practice by encouraging listeners to return to mindfulness techniques in the days following the election. She underscores the value of these practices in managing ongoing stress and maintaining mental well-being amidst uncertainty.

Eliza Barclay’s Closing Words:

"[03:00] Eliza Barclay: In the coming hours and days you can always return to this practice. A way to come out of swirling thoughts and overwhelm and tension in the body. A way to find a little bit of peace and stillness and presence. Be well."

Notable Points:

Credentials and Trustworthiness: Eliza Barclay’s dual role as a climate editor and certified mindfulness teacher establishes her authority on both the emotional and practical aspects of managing election anxiety.
Practical Guidance: The episode doesn’t just highlight the problem but provides actionable solutions through guided meditation, making it highly valuable for listeners seeking immediate relief.
Relatability: By sharing personal feelings and common emotional responses, Eliza connects with listeners on a human level, fostering a sense of community and shared experience.

Final Takeaway: This episode of The Opinions serves as both a compassionate acknowledgment of the widespread anxiety surrounding election day and a practical guide to mitigating such feelings through mindfulness meditation. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or new to meditation, Eliza Barclay’s guidance offers a pathway to finding calm amidst the storm of political uncertainty.

Transcript

Host (0:02)

This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it.

Eliza Barclay (0:15)

I'm Eliza Barclay. I'm the climate editor with Opinion and I'm also a certified mindfulness teacher. I've been teaching meditation on and off for about five years. I've been practicing meditation for over 10 years and have gotten a lot out of the practice. Today is election day and I'm guessing that a lot of people woke up this morning feeling very anxious with lots of thoughts swirling around their heads. I guess there's nerve ridden, stressed out. Is resignation an emotion, a sense of heightened anticipation about what is going to happen tonight? I feel confused and in the days to come I am feeling sick to my stomach. It's a child to focus on anything. We have a lot of uncertainty. We really don't know what's gonna happen. I like a good mystery and that can drive a lot of rumination in the mind. But this is kind of like a nerve wracking mystery, not like a good novel that you're reading on a vacation or anything. That rumination can feel productive, but there's also a fair amount of suffering that accompanies it. It's kind of like a beginning of a toothache. We feel it in our bodies.

Host (1:31)

It's like having a tense muscle like that just won't go away.

Eliza Barclay (1:34)

All high, super stressed. We feel it of course, in the mind. If you've already voted, then you've done your part and there's probably not much else you can do at a certain point. We have to let go and recognize that additional anxious thinking over the course of the day is not going to change the results of the election today. And so given that kind of mind state that so many of us may be in, there's an opportunity actually with mindfulness meditation practice to create a little bit of space between all those fearful thoughts, the concerns, the worries, the anxiety, and create a little bit of calm by just paying attention to the present moment. This is a basic meditation for beginners. You don't have to have any experience to try this. I recommend you just find a somewhat quiet space to do it in and a comfortable place to sit, bringing a sense of upliftedness to the upper body and just beginning by doing a brief body scan, starting from the top of the head and just scanning down, noticing any tension, any gripping, any clenching in the face, in the shoulders, in the hands, and just inviting the entire body to relax, let go and just relax. Here in stillness, in this sitting posture and bringing the attention now to the breath. Noticing sensations perhaps in the nostrils or in the movement of the belly, and just tracking those sensations, feeling the breath coming in, feeling the breath going out, just trying to stay with the breath, not trying to control the breath, make it speed up or slow down, just feeling whatever rhythm it's flowing. In this moment, we may discover that the mind is very busy, very active, lots of thoughts arising, pulling our attention away from the breath. It's not a problem. We just simply label this mental activity as thoughts. Just allow them to pass away and bring the attention back to the breath, just feeling it moving in and out of the body. We just do this over and over, just coming back to the breath again and again, simply noticing as thoughts arise, pulling our attention away from the breath, noticing without judgment just one aspect of our experience. And observing thoughts passing away, drifting away and coming back to this anchor of the in breath and the out breath. Simply feeling this breath in this moment of now, feeling this out breath and in this final moment of meditation, just resting here in stillness, in presence. Thank you for practicing with me today. And know that in the coming hours and days you can always return to this practice. A way to come out of swirling thoughts and overwhelm and tension in the body. A way to find a little bit of peace and stillness and presence. Be well.