Because the world seems scary, doesn’t mean we have to live in fear.
We’re living in anxious times. Many people are concerned and frightened about what’s happening in our country and the world, not to mention the climate, human rights, technology, and everything else. It feels like so much of what we once relied on has been turned upside down. The safety and order of our world seem to be disappearing, replaced by chaos, confusion, and distressing decisions that ripple into all of our lives. With all this uncertainty swirling around, it’s no wonder some of us feel like worry has become a constant companion.
It’s easy to get caught in thought loops what-iffing and catastrophizing about the unknown, to continue reminding ourselves of, imagining, and playing out disaster scenarios in our head. In a strange way, we do this in an effort to be prepared (if and when) the worst happens. That way, if we’ve rehearsed it enough times, we’ll have a plan and be combat-ready. So too, we assume and play out the worst-case scenarios because it’s better to be certain about a disastrous future than it is to live with the uncertainty and unknown truth. It’s oddly more comfortable to know it will be terrible (whatever it is) than to not know what it will be.
At the same time, we get caught in worry loops because our mind is designed to solve problems, and it’s happiest when it’s busy doing its favorite task. Having something potentially bad to unravel, figure out, and if possible correct, is the best birthday present the mind could receive, it’s got a bone to chew on for days and maybe even months. Worrying, what-iffing, and catastrophizing are in fact habits that feed on themselves, and keep us trapped recreating, reliving, and re-fixing the disasters we’ve also created. It’s a perfect loop, created by us, solved (or not) by us, and suffered by us. Around and around we go, leaving us in the same anxious place again and again.
While we might not have the immediate power to change the broader tides of the world, we can recognize the habit of mind, to seek out any potential bad and scary possibilities and then design and execute a mental gymnastics routine to correct them. We can ask ourselves if any of the disaster rehearsal is helping us or making any of the potential catastrophes less likely. We can also consider if there is anything, in reality, that we can do to control the situation. But more than anything perhaps, we can choose to resist the mind’s habit, and say “no” to the mind, “No, you cannot terrify me;” remind the mind to come back to the present moment and live here, where we do have some control, and where can in fact be okay. And furthermore, If any of these catastrophes come to pass we can deal with them then. All we’re doing now, really, is ruining the present moment, the only one that’s certain and real, in the hopes of being better prepared for a future moment that’s uncertain and unreal.
So too, there are meaningful ways to nurture a sense of calm and resilience within ourselves. When anxiety strikes, it often traps us in a loop of worst-case scenarios. The mind loves to future-trip, imagining every “what if” it can. But there’s relief in pausing, right here. Bring your attention to the present moment. Touch the ground of now. You might find it helpful to place a hand gently on your heart or your abdomen and take a slow, deliberate breath. Feel your feet grounded on the earth, tune into the sounds around you, sense the texture of this moment. Our bodies live in the present, and they can be an anchor through the haze of an anxious mind. Sometimes, just one deep breath can remind us—we are here, and we are okay.
And don’t forget that you don’t have to carry the weight of it all alone. Fear often tricks us into feeling isolated, but sharing your experience with others can create enormous relief. Reach out to your community, lean into your relationships, and allow yourself to be supported. Even the smallest connection can help transform helplessness into a sense of shared strength. Above all, hold space for love and kindness—both toward yourself and the world around you. Fear loses its grip when we choose kindness, even in small, simple ways. Smile at someone in passing, offer a kind word to a stranger, or bring awareness to the moments when you’re patient and gentle with yourself.
Each act of kindness, whether given or received, reminds us that love is always here, even in uncertain times.
