3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel Lingo
Kaira Jewel Lingo, a former nun and dharma teacher, discusses three Buddhist strategies to cope with global crises. She offers practical advice on mindful consumption, self-care, and skillful action to reduce suffering and maintain engagement.
Deep Dive Analysis
13 Topic Outline
Introduction to navigating global crises and doom-scrolling
Origin of the episode's advice from Kaira Jewel Lingo
Kaira Jewel Lingo's background and Thich Nhat Hanh's legacy
Thich Nhat Hanh's life and engaged Buddhism philosophy
Mindful consumption: What information to take in and how
Discussion on the 'Is this useful?' approach to news
Expanding consumption beyond suffering to history and beauty
Self-care and inner work as foundational for engagement
Thich Nhat Hanh's personal struggles and commitment to practice
The 'infinity symbol' of self-care and world-care
Importance of feeling emotions for liberating energy
Skillful action: Engaging wisely in your 'little corner'
The 'selfish case' for helping and acting in community
5 Key Concepts
Mindful Consumption
This practice involves being aware of what information you are taking in and how you are consuming it, asking if it is truly useful for relieving suffering. It also suggests broadening your information diet to include history, art, culture, and stories of aid, not just tragic news, to stay connected to humanity.
Negativity Bias
A human tendency to latch onto negative information, which was historically adaptive for survival. While it helped our ancestors survive by focusing on threats, in modern contexts like news consumption, it can lead to hyperarousal and be unhelpful if not managed mindfully.
Engaged Buddhism
A philosophy, notably championed by Thich Nhat Hanh, that advocates for bringing Buddhist practice out of the monastery and into the world. It involves directly addressing suffering through humanitarian work, peace advocacy, and social service, all while maintaining inner peace and mindfulness.
The Infinity Symbol (Self-Care & World-Care)
Described as a continuous, flowing movement between caring for and healing oneself, which naturally leads to caring for and healing the world. As one engages with the world, they identify areas within themselves that still need healing, prompting a return to inner work, creating an ongoing cycle of personal and global transformation.
Rest as Resistance
A concept, attributed to Tricia Hershey, suggesting that taking care of oneself, particularly for activists, is not a luxury but a necessary act. This self-care allows individuals to sustain their efforts, prevent burnout, and engage more effectively and wisely in the world.
6 Questions Answered
One strategy is mindful consumption, which involves questioning if the information being consumed is actually helping to relieve suffering and considering broadening one's intake to include history, art, and stories of aid, not just tragedy.
Yes, there's a wholesome quality to the impulse to stay informed and show solidarity with those suffering, reflecting our interconnectedness. However, it's important to recognize the negativity bias and hyperarousal that can make us get hooked on bad news, which may not be useful beyond a certain point.
Self-care, including rest, meditation, and processing emotions, is crucial because it allows individuals to come from a place of groundedness, peace, and clarity, enabling them to be more effective and sustainable in their efforts to relieve suffering in the world.
Kaira Jewel Lingo describes it as an 'infinity symbol': caring for oneself naturally leads to caring for the world, and engaging with the world reveals areas for further inner healing, creating a continuous cycle of growth and service.
Focus on what you can do in your 'own little corner of the planet,' whether it's gardening, caring for loved ones, or engaging in local community efforts. This localized, compassionate living affects the larger cosmos.
Taking action in the world can benefit the individual by absorbing anxiety and reducing feelings of helplessness. This effect is amplified when acting in community rather than alone.
7 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Self-Care and Inner Work
Engage in practices like coming back to the breath, taking pauses, finding solitude, ensuring adequate sleep and food, and dedicating time to inner transformation, as this self-care is crucial for developing a clear frame of mind and being more effective in relieving suffering in the world.
2. Process Your Emotions
Make space for and process your feelings, rather than avoiding them, because doing so liberates energy that can then be used to take constructive action in the world.
3. Practice Mindful News Consumption
Regularly ask yourself if your news consumption (e.g., doom scrolling) is helping you be more effective in relieving suffering or if you’ve overdosed, and if not, redirect your energy to something more useful or supportive to avoid overwhelm.
4. Broaden Your Information Intake
If compelled to consume more information during crises, seek out diverse content like historical documentaries, art, culture, music, and stories from affected regions, or learn about people providing direct aid and working for peace, to stay connected to humanity and avoid drowning in suffering.
5. Act Locally with Compassion
Focus on taking action and living compassionately in your “own little corner of the planet” by nurturing joy, connection, community, and caring for those immediately around you, as this localized care and peaceful presence significantly impacts the broader world and prepares you for long-term engagement.
6. Engage in Collective Action
If, after self-care and mindful consumption, you feel compelled to address a specific crisis, take concrete action by giving time or money, writing representatives, and crucially, join others in community to act together, as this absorbs anxiety, reduces helplessness, and amplifies impact.
7. Utilize Meditation App for Support
Download the “10% with Dan Harris” app for guided meditations to help with stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, self-compassion, and engaging with teachers and the community, offering a 14-day trial.
5 Key Quotes
We are caring for the whole cosmos when we care for one breath.
Kaira Jewel Lingo
You don't have to do everything. Just do what you can do in your own little corner of the planet.
Kaira Jewel Lingo
If we don't take care of ourselves, we're going to be a mess when we're really needed, when it really counts.
Kaira Jewel Lingo
We don't report on the plane that lands safely. We just don't do that. We report on the bad stuff.
Dan Harris
Taking action is a way for us to absorb our anxiety and reduce our feelings of helplessness.
DJ Kashmir
2 Protocols
Thich Nhat Hanh's Crisis Response (9/11 Example)
DJ Kashmir (describing Thich Nhat Hanh's actions)- Receive news of a major crisis (e.g., 9-11 attacks).
- Resist the urge for immediate, reactive action or planning.
- Prioritize coming back to oneself, finding peace, calm, and connecting with community (e.g., spending time at the beach).
- After achieving a state of groundedness, then respond directly and take action.
Buddhist Strategies for Navigating Crises (Kaira Jewel Lingo's three-part approach)
Kaira Jewel Lingo (as presented and discussed by DJ Kashmir and Dan Harris)- Practice Mindful Consumption: Be aware of what information you are taking in and how. Ask if it helps you be more effective in relieving suffering. Broaden your consumption beyond just tragic news to include history, art, culture, and stories of people providing aid.
- Prioritize Self-Care and Inner Work: Come back to your practice, take pauses, find solitude, and ensure basic needs like sleep and food are met. Crucially, make space for and process your feelings to liberate energy for constructive action.
- Engage in Skillful Action: Focus on what you can do in your 'own little corner of the planet' by living deeply, lovingly, and compassionately in your immediate sphere (e.g., gardening, caring for family/neighbors). If moved to address larger crises, give time, money, or write representatives, ideally acting in community.