How to Protect Your Peace in a World That Feels Broken
Sep 11, 2025
Some days, peace feels impossible. Especially when the world feels like it’s unraveling.
Have you ever wondered if peace is possible while living our day to day lives?Do you ask yourself, how am I supposed to feel at peace with everything falling apart around me?
When I look at current events in the world, I find myself feeling overwhelmed. So many terrible things happening. So much tragedy, hate, and violence. Today is a day that we remember the fallen heroes and lost lives of the terrorist strikes of 9/11.
It can feel like too much. Well, that's because it is.
Your nervous system is designed to keep you safe. Your brain attunes to negative events as a way to help you look out for danger.
When we are constantly inundated with negative events, our nervous system can become overwhelmed. Even if you're still managing your day to day life, you may notice feeling more negative, more anxious...and less grounded.
Yesterday, I looked at my social media feed for 2 minutes and stopped myself when realized that I had seen only negative and sad news. I could feel the shift in my body.
These negative feelings will not only affect how I see the world, and see others, these feelings will affect how I see myself. I noticed my mind start to feel less optimistic about a project I'm working on (completely unrelated to all of these negative events). My mind began to think about how to prepare for worst case scenarios in different areas of my life.
It was subtle but also profound. The feelings feel true in the moment.
Over time, this exposure can lead to being less resilient and to depressive moods. Studies show that just 14 minutes of watching negative news can lead to increased anxiety and depression.
But, don't we have a responsibility to be informed?!?
How can we balance being informed and taking care of our mental health?
Here are a few ideas. I'd love to hear what works for you too.
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Know your bandwidth: If you're in a season of stress or transition, honor that. You don’t have to carry the world.
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Choose action over helplessness: Donate, volunteer, pray—do something that reminds you of your power.
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Build fences, not walls: Stay informed, but curate your inputs. Protect your peace without disconnecting from humanity.
What I truly want in my life is to be able to sit with both the trauma and tragedy I see AND be present with my life, finding joy and peace. It all exists at once if we look for it.
I want to be a beacon of light and hope. I want to strengthen my ability to feel and share love.
It actually takes a lot of healing and courage to show up in the world with love and care.
Peace isn't passive. We must protect our peace in order to build the world in which we want to live.
All my love,
Stacey
