I told Walt this morning that I didn't know if it was safe to read the paper. First, trusting the source, and second, dealing with my Stress Circuits firing, I read about the China trade deal and was grateful for my EBT tools. It's pretty simple actually.
Modern life involves too much access to information that is delivered by forces that are not always interested in our health and peace – they are interested in giving us a dopamine-extreme high so we'll become addicted to reading it. It beats some addictions, but regardless, freedom is healthier!
How do we use the power of our brain to activate healthy chemical releases – not the extreme highs and lows of dopamine that are the hallmarks of addiction? Emotional processing. Thinking our way around the stress may sound like this:
"Walt, these people are completely wrong."
Of course, if he were using thinking as a solution, without processing the intense emotions activated by the emotional brain, he'd either take my side or the opposite. No shades of gray or thoughtful analysis. No "win-win" in sight. Sound familiar?
Instead, if I use the immense power of my brain to quiet those dopamine extremes and process my emotions effectively (by "doing a Cycle"), I'd be more apt to say:
"Amazing, can't wait to see how this goes!"
Or, I might even end up thinking of some wise action to take, rather than a stress-fueled over-reaction or under-reaction. I might say:
"I think I'll call Harry and give him support. I think this could impact his business."
The good news is not always in the news feed or the paper. It's that we can use emotional techniques to return our beautiful mind to Brain State 1. That becomes another way to bring peace on earth and to our morning. It's just a skill, and by using it, we affirm our brain-based way of healing ourselves – and the world.