Berenika Steinberg talks to Filip Kołodziejczyk, a cognitive-behavioural therapist, certified mindfulness teacher and coach, and director of the Polish Mindfulness Association.

Berenika Steinberg: Since the outbreak of the pandemic, I cannot keep myself away from the news channels. I follow three different platforms simultaneously at all times, and I feel like my head is going to explode. Worse still, I cannot stop doing it, even though I know the more I read, the more stressed out I become.

Filip Kołodziejczyk: What you are feeling now is the need to control the reality around you, seeing when it’s going to end, what threats might be coming your way. But the current situation uncovers a certain truth that seems to elude us in everyday life: that the sense of security we create for ourselves, and our efforts to control the reality we live in, are nothing more than a delusion. Achieving such a level of certainty right now is simply impossible. Of course, when danger arises, we should be prepared and know how to protect ourselves best. However, as you have pointed out, following the news constantly gives us neither a solution nor peace of mind. What’s more, the heightened level of stress that news