How to Find Peace When the World Feels Heavy

“The older I get, the more I realize that protecting my peace is not selfish… It is essential.” ~Unknown

It’s hard to turn on the TV or scroll through social media these days without encountering bad news. While it’s important to stay informed of world and local happenings, the barrage of negativity can weigh heavily on our hearts throughout the day, and it can accumulate as the week goes on. 

Although some people can let the negative news roll off like water on a duck’s back, some of us carry it with us, and even internalize it personally… especially those of us who are empathetic. When something bad happens to someone else, it can feel like it’s happening to us. The weight becomes too heavy to bear and affects our daily lives and our mindset. 

What is in your control?

The good news is that the events of the world are not yours to carry. You can set them down and lighten your load. Free yourself to focus on what is happening in your circle, with the people that you love.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t care about what is happening outside of your circle and in the world. If you have made it this far into this post, you are the kind of person that will always care. It is your gift that you should embrace. It is your superpower to share. 

Balance is the Key

You can’t find peace by outrunning or escaping life’s challenges and setbacks, but you can intentionally choose to be the calm within the storm.

The trick is to balance the heaviness of the world with your internal positivity. You can protect your positive mindset by setting healthy boundaries, focusing your attention on the things (and people) that truly deserve your energy, and finding ways to experience joy every day.

You can’t allow the heaviness to bog you down and diminish your power. You need to practice strategies that balance the two entities and train your positive mindset to outweigh the negativity. 

You cannot always calm the storm, but you can choose to become the calm within it.

Strategies that Bring You Peace When the World Feels Heavy

1. Limit news exposure. 

Getting factual information is good, but too much of anything can be unhealthy. Our nervous systems are not wired for constant news coverage, and yet that can easily become normal for us with 24/7 news on TV, computers, and our social media feeds, streaming constant updates and frequent rehashes of the same thing. Limit yourself to one reliable news source update per day. Find out what is happening, and then cut it off until tomorrow so your brain can process it and move on to the other important events in your atmosphere. 

2. Practice selective attention.  

You can't control everything that is happening in the world, but you can control where you point your focus. Choose to notice and acknowledge at least one uplifting thing each day. Maybe it is the kind interaction at the coffee shop, a beautiful sky at sunset, the World Cup Halftime Show, or a small win that you or someone you love has accomplished. Acknowledge it by writing it down, sharing it with a friend or even posting that positivity on your socials. Let that bit of positive energy anchor you and validate that there is still so much good in the world, and in your life.

3. Shrink your circle of concern.  

Ask yourself, “What is actually mine to carry today?” Too often we take on things that do not belong to us, or things we have no power to change. Take inventory of what is in your circle of control, and what is not. Do what you can for those in your tribe and in your community, and allow yourself to feel good about it. Then release what belongs to other people, or to forces outside your control. This isn't avoidance, it’s managing your energy wisely.

4. Create small rituals of delight.  

Joy isn't necessarily something that you find, but something you can create throughout your day. You can highlight small moments of joy by playing your favorite song while cooking, spending ten minutes with a good book or craft project, or getting outside and immersing yourself in nature. By making time for acts of joy that fill your cup, you are curating joy deep in your soul. Those tiny, repeatable pleasures add up to real resilience and foster your positive mindset.

5. Move your body.  

Think about your physical posture while you take in the latest cycle of world news… Are you sitting at a computer, lounging in front of the television, or standing hunched over the phone in your hand? Where are your shoulders positioned in relation to your spine? Standing up and moving your body can stimulate your blood flow and get your mind out of the rabbit hole of negativity you may be stuck in. Even a short walk outside or a few stretches will shift your nervous system out of its fight-or-flight mode. Movement doesn't erase hard things, but it helps keep you from internalizing them.

6. Stay connected to people who feel like home.  

Isolation makes everything feel heavier. Reach out to someone who lifts your spirits. Set the coffee dates, dinner plans or regular phone calls, and then keep them. Identify your tribe and stay connected. Honest conversations with people you value build support systems that remind you that you're not carrying things alone.

In the end, we’re all in this together.

“Peace begins the moment you you choose not to allow another person or circumstance to control your emotions.” ~Pema Chodron

There you have it. Six super simple strategies that can lighten your load and bring you tranquility in a sometimes crazy world. Practicing just a few of these daily will ease the constant pressure on your nervous system and allow peace to enter in. Choose one to start, and then branch out until you are making several of them regular habits that build on each other and strengthen your mindset. 

Beautiful friend, remember that you cannot control everything that happens in the world, and that’s okay because it is not your responsibility. Fortunately, you do have the power to train your brain to seek out the good around you and highlight the positivity that is already in your atmosphere of control.

It may require strategic thinking and intentional decisions at first, but once you start practicing these habits you will feel an amazing difference and a lightness that you will naturally want to continue.

I believe that you can create a positive mindset and bring peace to your soul, even when the world feels heavy, because you are positively limitless.