How to Care for Yourself in Troubling Times
Holding light in the darkness- a reminder to care for yourself in troubling times
It happens over coffee.
On the phone.
In quiet moments before bed. In these moments, self-care in troubling times becomes not just important – but essential.
Friends are sharing the same fear over and over again:
“I’m scared. I don’t recognize this country anymore.”
“Everything feels like it’s unraveling.”
“And I don’t know what to do.”Many are watching shifts in our nation with deep worry—the dismantling of decency, the unraveling of protections, and the rise of division and cruelty.
And when someone like Donald Trump returns to power, bringing a wave of political chaos, deep polarization, and disregard for truth and justice, the fear only intensifies.
But what do we do when the fear feels bigger than us?
How do we care for our hearts when the world feels like it’s coming apart?
Here are five ways to steady yourself in these overwhelming times:
1. Self-Care in Troubling Times: Focus on What You Can Control
When the world feels too big to fix, self-care in troubling times means narrowing your focus to what is right in front of you.
Notice the sunlight on your kitchen table.
Call a friend and remind them they matter.
Share laughter, make a meal, water your plants.
Small acts of care, presence, and love hold us together. These are not small things—they are the thread that weaves us back to wholeness.
I wrote an article entitled The Power of Your Word in Discovering Yourself that helped me realize the power of the words I say to myself and others affects my mood in the day/
2. Protect Your Peace: Self-Care During Challenging Times
You don’t have to carry every headline.
It’s okay to turn off the news.
It’s okay not to scroll before bed.
Staying informed matters. But being consumed by it will drain your spirit.
Protect your peace by setting boundaries around how much information you take in.
3. Take Small Actions: Finding Balance in Troubling Times
Write to your representatives.
Donate to organizations protecting what you value.
Support local community efforts.
You may not stop the storm, but you can help build shelters of hope.
Even small actions remind us we are not powerless.
4. Community Care: Support for Your Well-Being in Uncertain Times
Gather with people who believe in kindness.
Share your fears out loud.
Let others remind you that you are not alone.
We were never meant to carry this weight by ourselves.
Community is the antidote to despair.
5. Trust the Longer Story: Nurturing
Your Spirit Through Difficult Times
History reminds us that no leader, no empire, and no era of harm lasts forever.
We are part of a deeper, wiser rhythm in the world.
We have survived before.
And we will again.
Before you read this blessing, pause and remember that self-care in troubling times is about tending to your heart, breath by breath.
A Blessing for Troubled Times
When the fear rises so high that it will swallow you whole, pause.
Place your hand over your heart.
And breathe these words in:
Beloved heart,
When the world feels like it is coming undone,
When shadows stretch long across the land,
And fear presses heavy on your chest—
Pause.
Breathe.
Remember, you were never meant to carry this all.
Not the weight of nations,
Not the choices of the powerful,
Not the unraveling of what you hold dear.
Place your hand over your heart.
Feel the steady rhythm of life still pulsing within you.
This moment, this breath, is yours to tend.
Let the earth hold what you cannot.
Let the sky stretch wide enough for sorrows too big to name.
And let the quiet whisper of grace remind you:
There is still goodness here.
In your love.
In the kindness exchanged between strangers.
In the light that returns each morning,
No matter the darkness of the night before.
You are part of that light.
And you do not have to shine alone.
Rest now.
You are seen.
You are held.
And all shall not be lost.
You Are Not Alone
To everyone feeling the weight of these times—
I see you.
You’re not imagining it. These are heavy days.
But you are not powerless.
We will keep showing up for love.
For peace.
For the healing of the world.
One breath at a time.
Together.