Finding Calm in the Chaos: 3 Steps to Achieve More Peace
It’s tough to get away from the constant stream of bad news lately. Whether it’s global tragedies or things hitting close to home, it’s all right there at our fingertips the minute we open our phones. Since the pandemic, it feels like we’ve been stuck in a relentless cycle of horrors—one piling on top of the other, testing what’s left of our resilience. Honestly, it feels like everyone is hanging on by a verrrry thin thread right now.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched to your limit right now—take solace in knowing you’re far from alone.
With everything going on, it begs the question: How do we maintain a sense of peace in a world that feels like it’s constantly shifting (and not in a good way)? How can we ground ourselves amidst the chaos?
Here are three concrete steps you can start implementing today to experience a little more peace:
1) Deep Breathing
In the face of events like elections, pandemics, or natural disasters, it’s common to experience anxiety. These situations are often uncertain — we don’t know what they will bring, what they might mean for us, or how to support those impacted by their often tragic ramifications. Our brain naturally tries to make sense of this uncertainty, racing to figure things out. Deep breathing can help by bringing us back to the present moment, shifting our focus away from future-oriented thinking (the space where anxiety thrives).
Engaging in deep breathing will help bring you from a sympathetic (stress) state to parasympathetic (calm) state. Deep breathing can also help balance oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, leaving us feeling more alert and centered.
Try out the following:
Use a mantra - Close your eyes, take three deep breaths (longer on the exhale if you can as this promotes deeper relaxation), and silently or aloud repeat, ‘I am here’ on the inhale and ‘now’ on the exhale.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation - Start at one end of your body (feet to head, or vice versa) and as you inhale tense a particular muscle group (i.e., curl your toes) and release the tension on the exhale. I guarantee after a few deep breaths doing this you will literally feel the state of your body shift.
2) Mindfulness of Your Emotional Experience:
Become aware of what you’re feeling in the moment, without becoming overwhelmed by or overly attached to the feeling itself. Mindfulness helps us create space between our emotional reactions and our actions, allowing us to respond with clarity rather than being driven by the intensity of the moment.
Try out the following:
Name the feeling. Just by naming what it is you’re feeling, you can create some distance and lessen it’s intensity and hold on you. If you're unsure about what you’re feeling, you might find it helpful to refer to the Feelings Wheel for guidance.
Observe your feelings with curiosity and acceptance rather than judgment. When something significant happens around us, it’s easy to assume there’s a universal “right” way to feel—like despair when witnessing tragedy. But when our emotions don’t align with what we think we’re "supposed" to feel, we often judge ourselves harshly. Instead, consider what it might look like to approach your emotions with curiosity rather than criticism. How might you explore your feelings as they are, without attaching labels of “right” or “wrong”?
3) Action:
While it’s easy to feel helpless in the face of global tragedies, real change often begins on a smaller scale—within ourselves and our immediate communities. It’s unrealistic to expect to solve complex, distant issues like a century-old war, but you can make a difference in the life of someone struggling right in front of you.
Try out the following:
Ask yourself, “How can I take meaningful action here at home?” What is one small act of kindness or support you can provide at home, in your neighbourhood, or within your community that can create a ripple effect? By being proactive and offering help locally, we lay the foundation for broader, more meaningful change.
If you’re inclined to support those directly affected by what is going on, you could search for an applicable GoFundMe if you have the financial capacity to do so.
The challenges we collectively face may feel overwhelming, but they’re not new. The ebb and flow of life—this balance between chaos and calm—has always been part of the human experience. These turbulent moments will come and go, but what truly matters is how we hold our own experience of what is happening. Are we allowing it to consume us? Are we avoiding the truth by turning away from what’s really going on? Are we tapping into the strength of our community in difficult times?
By grounding ourselves, practicing mindfulness, and taking meaningful action, we can cultivate resilience and peace from within, no matter what’s happening around us.
