Episode 3 – Learning From Our Feeling Tones

In this episode, Dr. Ward discusses ways to study and practice with our feeling tones when consuming the news. A feeling tone is a simple, direct and immediate sensation that we experience in our body and mind. In Buddhist teachings, these feelings are often understood along a spectrum ranging from “pleasant” on one end to “unpleasant” at the other, with a range of intensity between those levels. In the middle of the spectrum is the tone “neutral”.

Studying our feelings tones is important, says Dr. Ward, for whether we realize it or not, when we consume the news, we assign a feeling tone to each story. By taking time to recognize and name these sensations, we begin to learn when the stories we read are adding to our wellness or adding to our suffering.

Go deeper:
The next time you watch the news or scroll through your phone’s feeds, stop and work through these three steps. Then journal, draw, or meditate about that experience.

(1) Become aware of the tone that is arising in you as you read the news. Where did it feel on the spectrum of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral?
(2) See the tone. Pay attention to the source where it came from. Who was the author or media outlet? What impact does the source have on the feeling tone you recognize?
(3) Look deeper. Ask yourself if that tone is feeding your wellness or your sense of justice and harmony. If it was, great! Lean into that type of experience more often. If it was not, what can you do to be more active in controlling the intake of information? Can you put your phone away and go outside for a walk? Can you change the TV channel? Can you go into your bank of resources that make you feel joy? Like listening to music or meditating.