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No matter what your political affiliation, you can probably agree on one thing: politics have gotten stressful.




If the midterm elections (that you’ve already voted in or place to vote in, right?!) have made your life a little more stressful than usual, the app Headspace might be able to help. The meditation app started offering a new “Politics Pack” for free this week with meditations to help you cope through it.



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None of the exercises are expressly political, nor do they cater to a specific political position. Instead, they offer ways to cope with some of the feelings you might experience when reading political news. Here’s a rundown from the app on the individual exercises:

Letting go of tension Political situations might leave you feeling angry, or devastated, or scared. If your emotions are overwhelming, try one of these 3-minute, stress-reducing, in-the-moment SOS meditations: •Feeling Overwhelmed (to step back and take a breath) •Losing Your Temper (to release frustration) •Panicking (to restore calm) Difficult conversations Difficult conversations with loved ones, friends, or strangers may arise—in person or on social media—so consider these meditations as a potential salve for before or after any particularly tricky chat: •Breathe mini (to foster spaciousness of mind) •Refresh mini (to wash away any built-up tension) •Difficult Conversations single (to encourage a less reactive mindset) Shifting perspective Reframing our approach to politics can be helpful. These 10-day meditation courses are not intended to change your opinions but to help you relate differently to the feelings of stress: •Patience (to help recognize and let go of impatience) •Transforming Anger (to channel it in a healthier way)

The goal behind each one is to help you deal with the situation in front of you and help you de-stress and reset. It’s not going to make you forget about the disaster our country is becoming, but it can potentially help you cope with it a tiny bit better.

