{"id":16156,"date":"2023-07-08T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com\/?p=112363"},"modified":"2023-07-08T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T09:00:00","slug":"when-news-is-too-stressful-these-radio-stations-broadcast-calm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/08\/when-news-is-too-stressful-these-radio-stations-broadcast-calm\/","title":{"rendered":"When News Is Too Stressful, These Radio Stations Broadcast Calm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a work-from-home employee, my constant companion is the sound of my radio murmuring low in the background. I know people who listen to podcasts and or have TV on while they work. That\u2019s much too engrossing for me. But the soothing voices of public radio hosts provide just the right amount of calming white noise. Unless they\u2019re discussing something outrageous or alarming\u2014which is all too often. News reports about current events can be a major source of stress<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

But <\/span>my station<\/span><\/a>\u2013and apparently others\u2013have begun using the airwaves to offer mindful moments and mini meditations as an antidote to distressing news. <\/span><\/p>\n

The other day as I wandered to the kitchen to refresh my cup of tea, the announcer ended a news break by suggesting that I stop for a moment and take a breath. I was surprised but I  my cup down and allowed myself to be guided in a moment of deep breathing. The tension in my shoulders melted and I felt myself doing a kind of mental reset. I went back to my desk feeling pleasantly refreshed. <\/span><\/p>\n

On-Air Meditation Breaks<\/b><\/h2>\n

That mindful moment is part of WFDD\u2019s Be Still Campaign, according to Molly Davis, Assistant General Manager at the station and a former yoga instructor. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThrough our reporting and being out in the community, we see that people are stressed,\u201d she says. In brainstorming ways to provide some relief, someone had the idea to play soothing sound bites\u2014a summer rain, a mountain stream, birds in the trees\u2014during station breaks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been working to keep those sounds fresh and trying to find some new sounds,\u201d she says. \u201cOne of my colleagues had the idea of doing something more directly meditative.\u201d That\u2019s when the station introduced the 30-second mindfulness meditation breaks. They are sprinkled into the program rotation at random times throughout the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

WFDD isn\u2019t the only radio station to use their broadcast platform to spread some peace. At WNYC in New York, Lorraine Mattox, offered a <\/span>daily 60-second<\/span> meditation series<\/span><\/a> called \u201cI Need a Minute.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n

When Headlines Are A Headache<\/b><\/h2>\n

Health experts<\/span><\/a> have long suggested that<\/span> limiting news<\/span><\/a> consumption can help reduce stress,  anxiety, and depression symptoms. While it\u2019s helpful to stay informed about events that are affecting you and your community, consuming too much news\u2013especially if it evokes strong emotion\u2013can lead to what psychologist Steven Stosny, PhD calls \u201cheadline stress disorder.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor many people, continual alerts from news sources, blogs, social media, and <\/span>alternative facts<\/span><\/a> feel like missile explosions in a siege without end,\u201d he<\/span> writes<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>(It can even be stressful for <\/span>news reporters<\/span><\/a> themselves.) In addition to offering a bit of a break from the 24-hour news cycle, a mindfulness practice can help offset the negative effects of <\/span>negative news<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

An Antidote To Your Regular Programming<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beneficial to have these moments reminding us all that it\u2019s okay to take a break,\u201d says Davis. \u201cSometimes everything is just a little bit too much and just 30 seconds of quieting your mind can make a huge difference.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

While 30 seconds of stillness may not feel like much of a meditation, <\/span>even a few moments of mindfulness may be a gateway for beginners to build up to longer periods of sitting, which<\/span> can have benefits over time. A<\/span> study<\/span><\/a> by researchers at NYU found that 15 minutes of meditation over eight weeks <\/span>decreased anxiety and negative mood, and increased attention and memory.  F<\/span>or people who have an established meditation practice, a short <\/span>mindfulness snack<\/span><\/a> can help reset your day. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course there are many on-demand options for audio meditations\u2014including apps, YouTube videos, and websites (<\/span>including <\/span>YJ<\/span><\/i><\/a>). Wherever it\u2019s available, meditation can offer a benefits. <\/span><\/p>\n

Davis says her listeners appreciate the radio breaks. \u201cAlmost immediately, we heard from so many listeners how much they appreciated it,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople who said, \u2018Please, please keep this going. \u2026It\u2019s really important and we need it.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tamara Y. Jeffries<\/a> is a Senior Editor for <\/em>Yoga Journal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"When<\/figure>\n

Public radio affiliates have added mini meditation breaks to their programming\u2013because sometimes no news is good news.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post When News Is Too Stressful, These Radio Stations Broadcast Calm<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37,35,36],"class_list":["post-16156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ayurveda","tag-blogs","tag-yoga","tag-yogacourseware"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}