3 Secrets to Stay Grounded In this Chaotic Moment in Time
The world that we are living in today is anything but peaceful and predictable. It seems that every day there is some new tragedy, crisis, disaster, or cause for fear that seemingly demands our every ounce of attention.... Or does it?
These incidences come from every direction and in all shapes and sizes. Whether a personal issue arises that completely disrupts your peace of mind but seems to only affect you personally or a global event transpires that uproots the happiness and joy of millions of people simultaneously, our world can be a very uneasy place to exist.
In this information age we are being inundated with negative input and problems via social media, television, the media, politicians, and even our social interactions with others.
With everything going on around you, maintaining a sense of security and order in your mental environment and personal life can feel like a completely futile effort.
Try as you may, there seems to be something that always comes along for no other reason than to fill you with fear and worry. Why? Because we are wired to react with a fight, flight, or freeze response. Those who wish to influence your thoughts, choices, and behaviors are feeding you with fear counting on your emotional reptilian brain response to pick a side, to act – or react to the fear.
While you can’t change the dynamic nature of the world you live in, there are thoughts and strategies that, when implemented effectively, can help you stay grounded when life gets crazy.
1. Do Not Try to Bear The Weight Of Others or The World On Your Shoulders
One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to realize and come to terms with the fact that you are a single human being that is tremendously incapable of bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders. The truth is you have very little impact or influence on what is happening in the world. Your responses and efforts may in fact be contributing to the world’s problems, you could be alienating the people you need in life such as family, friends, neighbors, and the community. Those who should be coming together to help each other during times of crisis, chaos, and disaster.
At first glance, this may seem like a sign that you should just give up and let yourself be tossed in the waves of each new tragedy. However, becoming aware of your own limitations can serve as one of the biggest sources of peace you could ever hope to find.
The reason for this is that when you take the time to identify the things that are out of your control, the list of things that you actually can influence becomes much more clear. Instead of feeling overwhelmed at every single problem going on around you, you are able to focus your efforts on only the issues that you can change.
Not only does this give you a much-needed sense of authority over your circumstances, it also frees you from the burden of trying to manage the problems of the world by yourself. In the raging war that is our world today, it is important that you pick your battles wisely. Pick those battles that affect your ability to thrive and survive.
Know your true sphere of influence. Cut back on social media, news, and politics. Don’t put your head in the sand. Understand the issues and vote for those people who you believe will best represent you. Let them bare the weight and take on battles.
Do things that can have an immediate impact on those in need by donating your time once or twice a week or donate money to those in need.
Always prioritize and take time to care for your own mental, emotional, safety, security, and financial needs first.
2. Maintain Perspective
Another common issue that many of us have when it comes to all the things going wrong in the world is that we automatically feel as if these things have a direct affect on our personal lives.
While this may seem callous, the truth is that not only are most of the issues we notice on a daily basis through the media or online things that have little to no effect on our personal existence, they are also far out of our hands. Truth is if you didn’t know about them your view of life and happiness would probably be more positive and you would have a greater appreciation for life and what is to come.
Expending your time and energy on trying to solve the problems that affect your immediate environment, mental health, and happiness is a much better investment than worrying about a conflict or issue in another city, state, or on the other side of the globe.
Supporting a cause for the sake of charity is fantastic, but not if doing so means ignoring the conflicts that are staring you in the face.
3. Maintain A Sense of Order
Finally, it is critical that you maintain a sense of order in your own life, regardless of how messy and cluttered the things around you become.
If you allow you internal state to mimic your external environment, you fall victim to the chaos. Whatever your day-to-day life entails, always strive to develop systems and routines that provide you with a sense of peace and security. If you are looking for these things in places other than your own life, you will not find them. Set long term, medium, and short-term goals that directly contribute to your health, home, and happiness. Be thankful and celebrate daily, weekly, and monthly accomplishments. If you have nothing to celebrate, you are not setting goals and taking action daily to achieve them. Set yourself up for success at the beginning of every day by identifying things that you will do to progress your life and contribute to your well-being. Each night reflect on your accomplishments and be grateful for you have, what you have achieved, and the bright future you are creating for yourself.
