Finding Steadiness in a Shaky World

I don’t know about you, but 2025 has already been a doozy! Uncertainty, instability, and difficulty seem to be the themes of the year, and I find myself reflecting on how easily our nervous systems get activated—even when the stress isn’t happening directly to us.

Our fight-or-flight response, designed to keep us safe, is an ancient survival mechanism. For our long-ago ancestors, stress came in acute bursts—fleeing from predators or securing food. Once the danger passed, the nervous system could settle again. But in modern life, stress is chronic. Deadlines, information overload, global crises—we are bombarded with stressors that keep our systems on high alert. And when stress becomes relentless, we either lash out, numb out, or collapse into a state of immobilization.

So what can we do? While we can’t control the chaos of the world, we can control how we respond. The question becomes: "How do I want to meet this moment?" Do I want to react with anger, panic, or despair? Or do I want to meet it with steadiness, clarity, and resilience?

The first step to steadiness is tending to our nervous system. We need to slow down, to regulate. This can be as simple as taking deep breaths, pausing to journal, or creating space for reflection. We also need to reconnect with our bodies. So often, we live in our heads, lost in an endless stream of thoughts. But our bodies exist in the present moment, and tuning into our senses can help us find grounding. Sensory awareness—feeling our feet on the floor, noticing the rhythm of our breath—reminds us that we are here, now.

The mind and body are deeply connected. Stressful thoughts create tension in the body, but we can also work the other way—relaxing the body sends signals back to the brain that we are safe, creating space for greater ease and awareness. Recognizing this connection allows us to shift how we experience stress and move through it more skillfully.

With all of this in mind, I’ve been inspired to offer a workshop: "Finding Firm Ground: Mindful Tools for Uncertain Times". In my therapy practice, I see a trend—so many people feeling unmoored, shaken by the weight of the world. And I know my clients are just a microcosm of the larger community. That’s why I’ve created this offering: to share mindfulness-based tools for working with stress, for rediscovering steadiness in a shaky world.

Thich Nhat Hanh once spoke of being the steady person in the lifeboat. In times of crisis, if everyone panics, the boat capsizes. But if even one person remains calm, their steadiness spreads, supporting the entire boat. I believe the same is true for us today. By grounding ourselves, we not only support our own well-being but also contribute steadiness to those around us.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to join me for this online workshop on Saturday, March 1, 2025. And based on how it goes, I hope to offer more workshops and retreats focused on this vital work. Because within each of us lies the capacity to find steady ground—even when the world feels unsteady. And that’s where transformation begins.

Hope to see you there!