Signs are clear. Stress is not reducing.

I’m making maps. Navigating through storms is something I’ve become good at.

On one map, I’ve demarcated a snag. A place where ancient maps might have pictured sea monsters. The snag starts with: the technologies (and even beliefs) that were supposed to make life easier now make us tear out our hair.

Stress is not reducing. It’s compounding. That’s why I think that “stress reduction” is no longer the right term. I no longer consider it a helpful destination to be plotted on our navigation charts.

I was at an office party yesterday.
In conversation, I watched myself describe what the Mindful Boston studio is for. It was like watching myself draw out a new map, avoiding any false promises about what a meditation studio can deliver, or the places it can take you.

There’s that bad news on my navigation map, that the stress is not reducing. There are no indications that that's where we're headed. As a culture, we’re not making choices that lead to that place. And the individuals I talk to are not setting stress-reducing boundaries around their time and energy.

Yet, I wanted to be positive for these nice folks at the party. And because of that, I figured out the good news.