Let’s be honest for a second: looking at the news right now feels a lot like watching a disaster movie, except you can’t find the remote to turn it off.

If you’ve been feeling a tight knot in your chest or a constant buzzing of low-grade anxiety lately, I want you to know something important—you are not crazy, and you are not weak. You are having a normal reaction to an abnormal amount of uncertainty.

The world is loud right now. Between the economy, global events, and the rapid pace of change, our brains are constantly scanning for threats. But living in a state of “fight or flight” isn’t sustainable.

So, how do we find our footing when the ground keeps shifting? We can’t fix the whole world overnight, but we can fix how we navigate it. Here is how to reclaim your peace right now.

Focus on Your “Circle of Control”

Uncertainty is scary because it makes us feel powerless. The antidote to powerlessness isn’t false positivity; it’s action.

There is a stoic concept called the “Dichotomy of Control.” It asks you to separate things into two piles:

Pile A: Things you cannot control (The economy, the weather, other people’s opinions, global politics).

Pile B: Things you can control (Your morning routine, what you eat, how kind you are to yourself, when you turn off your phone).

When you feel the fear rising, look at your worries. If they are in Pile A, try to visualize physically setting them down. If they are in Pile B, do one small thing to improve them. Cleaning a single drawer or drinking a glass of water can trick your brain into remembering: I am in the driver’s seat of my own life.

Put Your Phone on a Diet

We are all guilty of “doomscrolling”—endlessly refreshing our feeds hoping for good news, but only finding more stress.

Your brain was not designed to process the trauma of the entire world in real-time, 24/7. When you constantly consume terrifying headlines, your nervous system stays on high alert.

Try this experiment: For the next three days, don’t check the news or social media for the first hour after you wake up and the last hour before you sleep. Protect your peace during those vulnerable transition times. You will be amazed at how much lighter you feel.

Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body

Anxiety lives in the mind (the “what ifs”), but calm lives in the body (the “right now”).

When your thoughts start spinning out of control, you need a physical anchor. You don’t need to become a yoga master to do this. It can be as simple as:

Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: Acknowledge 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste.

Movement: Shake your hands out, go for a brisk walk, or stretch.

These actions send a biological signal to your brain that says, “We are safe right now.”

Create Micro-Rituals of Certainty

When the macro world is uncertain, build certainty in your micro world.

Rituals are comforting because they are predictable. This could be brewing your coffee the exact same way every morning, reading five pages of a book before bed, or a Friday night movie tradition. These small, repetitive acts act as guardrails for your day, giving your mind a place to rest.

Connect (Authentically)

Fear isolates us. It whispers that we are the only ones struggling. But the moment you turn to a friend and say, “I’m actually really stressed about the future,” you break that spell.

Vulnerability is a superpower. Reach out to the people who make you feel safe—not the ones who ramp up the drama, but the ones who listen. We are pack animals; we are wired to survive uncertainty together, not alone.

** The Bottom Line**

It is okay to be afraid. But don’t let fear make your decisions for you.

By grounding yourself in the present and focusing on what you can control, you become the calm eye in the storm. The world may be uncertain, but your ability to handle it is not. Take a deep breath. You’ve got this.