It’s so easy to be anxious, overwhelmed, afraid—even depressed right now. The news changes like a carousel, a true emotional roller-coaster that feels impossible to hop off.
We cannot stop the world from spinning, but we can protect our own center.
We are living in a VUCA world—Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. While we cannot control the storm, we can learn to be the anchor.
Here is how you can reclaim your throne and protect your mental health right now.
1. Starve the Noise and Root Yourself
The first step to sanity is silence. Our nervous systems were not built for a 24/7 crisis cycle.
- Starve the Noise: Make it a priority to check trusted news sources just once a day or week.
- Root Yourself in the ‘Now’: Grounding works. Whether it’s a warm bath, a mindful meal, or simple breathing, understand that you are safe here, in this moment—not in the anxious “what if” of the future.
- Practice Gratitude for the Mundane: Focus on the life you have—the hot water in your shower, your pet’s love, or a stranger’s smile.
2. Regaining Your Agency: Hero vs. Supporting Character
Agency is the belief in your ability to positively influence yourself and the world around you. It is the feeling of being a captain on your own ship, intentionally steering where you want to go rather than drifting with a dangerous current.
Ask yourself: Do you feel like the hero of your own story, or a supporting character in someone else’s? Often, emotional struggles like chronic anxiety or burnout are not just about stress—they are symptoms of low agency.
- The Two-Bucket Strategy: Divide everything happening around you into things you can’t control and things you can control. Accept the first bucket; focus your power entirely on the second.
- Claim Your Throne: If you don’t claim your own throne, no one else will. High-agency people view life as something they do, taking responsibility for their choices to find genuine fulfillment.
Personal Breakthrough: During COVID, I was unemployed and living off savings. It was a crisis, but I realized that one resource I had was time. I used that time to research the FIRE movement and began investing in the stock exchange when stock prices were at their lowest. By taking action in a moment of uncertainty, I felt my agency grow along with my portfolio.
3. Your Tribe is Your Shield
Isolation is your worst enemy. Instead of watching series about friends, go find yours—in co-working spaces, meet-ups, or community hikes.
- Find High-Agency People: Surround yourself with optimistic “doers” from whom you can learn. You are the average of the people you spend the most time with.
- Contribution as Power: Every tiny action—donating to a cause or helping a stranger—transforms powerlessness into purpose.
4. Create to Release
Instead of consuming content, create it. Creating triggers the brain to find new unexpected solutions instead of spiraling down into worry. In a world incentivized for consumption, it is a radical act of agency to build rather than buy, and to write rather than just read.
- The “Monkey Strategy”: Years ago, I worked in a toxic environment where I was constantly silenced. I was forced into long meetings where I had to sit quietly and nod. To survive, I spent those meetings drawing monkeys in my notebook. My boss thought I was taking diligent notes, but I was actually maintaining my sanity and my agency. It was productive, cheeky, and it kept me whole.
👉 Your Challenge This Month ✨
Don’t let the world dictate your mood. Choose one area of your life where you will claim your throne today. Whether you journal, reach out to a new friend, or sweat it out at the gym, remember: you are the ruler of your own queen/kingdom.
What is your “secret recipe” for dealing with uncertainty and fear? Let’s support each other in the comments below! ⬇️
If you need help figuring out how to get there, let’s tackle it together. 🤝
