According to NPR, a January survey of 1,109 adults, Republican and Democrat, conducted by the American Psychological Association, a whopping 62% of Urban dwellers report a significant amount of stress related to the outcome of the recent presidential election.
If ever there was a time of year to practice being present, the holidays are it. And if ever there was a more difficult time to practice being present...the holidays are still it!
I have to confess, I don't really like the word "mindfulness." I think it's misleading, and often misused. I believe it's a word that got lost in translation from East to West. The original intention of the word, if you read from some of the buddhist teachers like Tich Nhat Hanh, was to capture a state of being that is fully present and awake, relaxed and alert. The word Mind in eastern teachings most often refers to a place of inner being, inner knowing.
If you think the games you have going are what lead to what it is you're seeking in life, forget it. What is required to go on this trip...you have to have experienced despair.