Finding Steadiness When the World Feels Heavy
Finding Steadiness When the World Feels Heavy
This past week, I noticed something in nearly every single session with my clients: a heaviness in their hearts. The weight of recent world events, the flood of opinions, fears, and anxieties—it’s as though everyone is carrying it in their chest. And I’ll be honest: I’m right there too.
When the world feels this way, it can be hard to know what to do with all of the emotions that come up. My encouragement has been this: allow yourself to feel them. Sit with the fear, the grief, the uncertainty. Acknowledge it, validate it, let yourself be human. Just don’t let it sweep you away.
One practice I’ve shared is creating a little ritual of “putting things away.” For example, take an old tissue box and turn it into a grievances box. Write down your worries, fears, or frustrations, tuck them inside, and then put the box on a shelf in your closet. It doesn’t erase the problems, but it helps set a boundary so you don’t live in them all day.
We can also give ourselves moments to breathe by:
Stepping away from social media for a while
Coming inward and reconnecting with ourselves, our families, and nature
Take a second and close your eyes and take a few big deep breaths
Intentionally seeking out good news and stories of kindness happening in the world
It’s important to remember: there are countless people out there doing beautiful, loving things every single day. Hate may be louder, but love and kindness are still here—we just have to look for them. And we can add to them. Something as small as a compliment, a gentle word, or an act of kindness can create a ripple effect. If enough of us live this way, the waves of goodness grow stronger.
Survival mode often sounds like fear, retreat, and helplessness. But grounding ourselves can sound like hope. It’s choosing not to live consumed by fear. It’s remembering that light always follows darkness, that storms eventually give way to rainbows, and that love is a force that endures.
We don’t have control over everything happening in the world—but we do have control over how we show up in it. By taking care of ourselves, by nurturing love and kindness in our daily lives, and by raising our children with empathy and peace, we are making change.
So if your chest feels heavy right now, you’re not alone. Let yourself feel it, but also give yourself room to breathe, to hope, and to remember: there is still so much good.
Sending you my love and a big hug.
E