Holding Steady When the World Shakes
Life doesn’t always go to plan. A job is lost, a relationship ends, an illness appears without warning, —or ,least imagined, a war breaks out in a place we once called home. Sometimes, the world changes overnight, and we’re left trying to make sense of it.
Staying Grounded When Everything Feels Fragile
From personal experience, here’s how I try to stay grounded and I encourage you do try it:
1) I’ve made a conscious choice: I won’t let fear or anxiety take the wheel.
2) I name the emotions. Not to suppress them, but to recognize them. “This is fear.” “This is sadness.” “This is the ache of distance.”
Naming emotions makes them more bearable—and stops them from controlling me.
3) I protect my mind. I don’t watch every video or read every update. I stay informed, but not consumed. I set limit. I’ve learned that burning out helps no one.
4) I slow down. I don’t make big decisions when I’m flooded with emotions.
5) I breathe. I walk. Don’t underestimate the power of a pause for a strong mind.
6) Be the calm others need. Calm is not weakness. It’s courage with its feet on the ground. In times of crisis, our presence matters more than our words. Just being calm, listening without judgment, and offering practical help can ground someone whose world is falling apart.
7) Above all, ACCEPT WHAT IS“! Acceptance doesn’t mean surrender. It means understanding the limits of your control—without abandoning hope or action. When war or any crisis strikes, we may not be in control of the event—but we are in control of our response.
A Breathing Technique To Lighten a Heavy Heart
Choose between sitting upright in a chair with a back support or lying on the floor with your head rested on a pillow. As a pilates coach, I prefer these 2 positions because they preserve the alignment of the back and the ribcage. Set a 5 min timer. Start with the longest(not hardest!) exhale you can afford at that moment. Follow that up with a normal inhale. Go ahead and take another long exhale. Bring your normal inhale after. Go with this flow without a specific expectation until your timer goes off. As you progress you start noticing your inhales get calmer and possibly longer. Your shoulders start letting go and soften. This is good…very good. These conscious breaths can slow your heartbeat and clear your thoughts.
A few things to note:
a. Eyes can be open unless you have distraction around. I prefer closing mine.
b. It is ok to feel tight and short in the breath in the beginning. Do not fight it. You will notice the change very soon.
c. Sometimes at the end of the long exhale there is a silence or a void. Let it be. The inhale comes after this.
d. Rest your hands on your chest and belly or rest them on your legs if you choose to sit.
The Choice That Always Remains
When the world shakes, the only thing that remains fully yours is your response.
You can choose to pause.
You can choose to be kind.
You can choose to be strong in stillness, rather than noise.
Even when war comes into your life—whether through headlines or heartbreak—you still have this power: to respond, not react.
That’s how we survive. That’s how we help others survive too.
Much love
Niloo
xx