Have you heard the term “societal exhaustion”?

It could be you’ve never heard the exact term “societal exhaustion”, but if you’re like the average person then your imagination will allow you to envision a day in your own life. You get up, you check your cell phone for messages, you glance at the television to see what is happening on the morning news, you consider your own “to do” list and then you jump into the shower…all the while reviewing in your mind what your day is going to hold for you, perhaps your spouse, your children, your co-workers. And so the day continues…emails, phone calls, text messages, an occasional face-to-face meeting, maybe you wander through the supermarket picking out something for the dinner meal and then sit down with your family members each with one hand posed to respond to their “hand-held device!”

Sadly, this scene plays out millions of times per day across our country, as even our children are now tied to devices all the while waiting for the next distraction. So are there solutions for “societal exhaustion?”

Cooper Anderson introduces us to Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn

On December 14, 2014, Cooper Anderson presented a 60 Minute segment that dealt with Mindfulness training. He had the opportunity to attend a retreat in northern California conducted by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. If you have trouble viewing the video below, you can watch the 60 Minute segment here.
(We apologize in advance for any advertisements shown during this video.)
So what did you think? Did this segment peak your curiosity? Of course, this is not the first time we’ve written about mindfulness training. It is part of our program here at Cottonwood Tucson and we are pleased that a number of our staff members, including Tanya Lauer, Diana Zumas, Katie Gleason and Jennifer Zimmerman, use mindfulness practices with our patients in the treatment of mood disorders, chemical dependency and trauma.

Some final thoughts…

Cooper Anderson’s segment was valuable in a couple of ways. He was honest about his own skepticism, as well as his own dependency on handheld hardware and software. He is, after all, a journalist who covers stories worldwide. Anderson also allowed us to really get to know more about Dr. Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Judson Brewer. 

As always, start the conversation…