Don't have time to practice qigong, you say? Do it instead of watching or listening to the news. Consuming fear-based news (and really, what else is there these days?) leads to fear and worsens existing anxiety and depression, while a regular diet of qigong may make you happier.
"But I need to be an informed citizen!" you say. Perhaps, but which would you rather be: 1. informed yet too anxious, stressed or depressed to get out of bed to take action, plus bringing everyone around you down because all you talk about is how awful the world is, or 2. uninformed but happy and able to spread a positive influence?
Let me explain further. Years ago, at a meditation workshop, one of the participants talked about how he was on a news fast. He said, "There will always be some sort of natural disaster, a war somewhere, people suffering." If you're not going to take some sort of action to fix the problem, why do you need to know about it? Does knowing about it make you feel good or bad? Think about that one.
I joke that if the world ends, I'll see everyone running past my house and ask someone what's up. There are very few things that have an immediate effect on our lives, very few things that require a 24/7 news cycle. I'm confident that I'll hear about the ones that do. In the meantime, I'll do my best to generate and spread positive vibes.
What are you consuming?