The double problem of heat

Heat is an objective, physical problem, and one that individuals pretty much can't solve. Our mental reaction to it, though, is subjective, arbitrary, and at least partly controllable.
When it's really hot, like right now, our system senses it and reacts in a biologically predictable way. Our mental reaction, though, depends entirely on us.

These days I feel the heat like everyone else. I sweat, I get tired, I look for relief somewhere cool. But I wouldn't say I'm suffering. Not like most of the people I interact with, at least.
I'm probably just lucky; my system handles it a little better than average. But I think that's a negligible factor.
The fact is, I don't think about it, I don't talk about it, I don't complain. I take what you might call a Buddhist or meditative approach. I don't do it entirely on purpose. By nature, I always keep my mind focused on some goal: a line of reasoning, a memory, a fantasy. It's a bit like focusing on your breathing when you meditate. That keeps the thought of the heat at a distance. And it doesn't nag at me.

Being hot is a problem. Thinking about it obsessively and negatively, complaining, doesn't solve it. It makes it worse. It adds a second problem, if you can put it that way. And this second problem doesn't depend on the climate, but on our own minds.
It's a normal, human mechanism, but that doesn't make it inevitable. Falling into a victim spiral is addictive. It makes us suffer and satisfies us at the same time. Complaining about it to others then serves two purposes. First, as the saying goes: a trouble shared is a trouble halved. Second, we look for understanding, sympathy, and empathy from whoever's listening.
Unfortunately, though, this mechanism requires our mind to be totally focused on an unpleasant condition — being hot, that is — and that makes us suffer.

It may sound counterintuitive, but to bear the heat better, to suffer it less, you have to let the body shoulder it, while keeping the mind anchored to more pleasant thoughts, or at least more useful ones.
As your garden-variety sage of platitudes would say: having one problem is bad, but taking on two is even worse.

Drafted from Italian with Blog Translator, then revised by me.

High tech Buddhism: how to get out of the infamous video-scrolling-loop

The debate over the effects of smartphones on society and human mental health has been ongoing for quite some time. 
The situation has obviously gotten worse in the last 2-3 years. Buses and trains are full of people who seem to be staring hypnotized at the screen of their phone, swiping their finger on it now and then, just like zombies. 
New techniques, such as continuous video scrolling loops, have been introduced. They target some well known weak points of our psyche and they promote the production of some hormones that give us pleasure. If you feel guilty after having wasted hours watching some silly videos non-stop, well do not worry: it's not your fault. You're being manipulated like a lab mouse. Fortunately (maybe) we're not mice, and we do have methods to preserve our mental independence, if we want to. So if you are happy with your hours of trance like state you can ignore the rest of this post. But if you want to get out of this mental trap you might find what follows useful. 
The solution is actually grounded in some very old ideas. Good old Siddhartha Gautama, aka the great Buddha, had a very similar insight when he was trying to find a way out of our obsessive thinking about past and future, that distracts us from the only moment that matters: the present one. That solution is called MINDFULNESS.
Let’s clarify the problem first. 

The power of now, A new Earth - Eckart Tolle

A good thing about the current pandemic is that I’ve had plenty of time to read. I'm currently updating a list of the best books I’ve come across so far. Please see my home page for the previous entries.

17th item: a pair of books.

In his most famous works the spiritual teacher Eckart Tolle, drawing from his own experience and various mystical traditions, addresses an old theme: how to deal with emotional problems and improve one’s life.

The art of happiness - The Dalai Lama

A good thing about the current pandemic is that I’ve had plenty of time to read. I'm currently updating a list of the best books I’ve come across so far. Please see my home page for the previous entries.

#14. Few people will deny that Tenzin Gyatso, also known as the Dalai Lama, is one of the most charismatic and amazing people alive. He’s the political leader of Tibet, the most popular Buddhist spiritual guide and an inspiration to people from all walks al life.

Wherever you go there you are - Jon Kabat-Zinn

A good thing about the current pandemic is that I’ve had plenty of time to read. I'm currently updating a list of the best books I’ve come across so far. Please see my home page for the previous entries. Eighth item. For those of you who are interested in, curious about, already into, or even skeptical of meditation, this is a great read. It’s a very serious dive into the realm of mindfulness, offering the best of both worlds (meaning East and West) about the topic: Jon Kabat-Zinn is an American professor emeritus of medicine and has been a student of some of the world's most famous Buddhist teachers (the Dalai Lama, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Seungsahn).