Inner Peace Within the Chaos: 10 Ways to Stay Grounded in 2025

Dear Friends,

I have several new projects on the go and will take my practitioner’s exam in Eden Energy Medicine in under two weeks. I will share more on my projects (and the results of my exam!) later, but in this newsletter I want to address the struggles with mental health I see happening in the world.

I’ve made no secret that I’ve had to work hard for my mental health, but what’s new is that so many people are struggling with it now, too. With the current, chaotic state of the world, many people have shared how they feel a sense of helplessness, despair, or downright dread.

Over the years, I have gathered a list of tools, and while I am working on updating an "official" tool list which will be available as a PDF, in the meantime I want to share simple ways I keep grounded in times of trouble.

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1. Express Yourself

Choose a medium, whether it’s writing, art, dancing, woodworking, music, or whatever it is, and express the “inexpressible.” Some of the most profound, brilliant, transformative artwork has been done when the writer or artist was in anguish—they transmuted those feelings into something that connected with others and changed the landscape of our human experience. Most of us won’t make artwork on that level, but the simple act of expression is a powerful release and has an intrinsic value.

As I was driving down the highway, a flapping movement at the side of the road caught my eye. It was a beautiful hawk, injured and unable to fly. As I drove by, it locked eyes with me. I took the first exit and circled back, but by the time I got there, it had died. Painting helped ease my grief.

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2. Choose Love

It sounds corny, but choosing love over hate/fear/apathy/blame/resentment/despair is the cornerstone of a changed life. If at every moment we remain in a state of awareness, we can observe the difficult feelings as they rise, like waves crashing against the rocks, and as we breathe, watch them recede.

There’s a mantra, “Watch breath. Soften Belly. Open heart.” Paradoxically, it’s the struggling against the feelings that traps them inside us. We become prisoners of our own stuffed-down emotions. I have found meditation helpful (the book, “The Untethered Soul,” is like a how-to manual on letting go!) and daily prayer a source of strength and inspiration. Find whatever means works for you, so that you can remain in a state of conscious, joyful love, even as the winter winds blow around us and the spring seems so very far off. The changes we want to see in the world begin with us, not with whoever is in charge. Those people come and go, like those waves crashing against the rocks. Love stays constant.

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3. Work for the Good

Volunteer. Find a way to be of service to others, whether animal or human or even the environment. Become the face of kindness in this world to another person or animal. Volunteering at the Primrose Donkey Sanctuary every week, far from being a burden, has made me happier. I feel more hopeful about the future, and like I am helping in the plight of animals worldwide. While we can’t control most of what happens in the world, we can control how we behave, and we can act with sincerity.

Some friends at Primrose enjoying a sunny day after a long cold snap.

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4. Be Kind

Everyone is dealing with something. Even the people with whom you may disagree have their own story to tell. Even just smiling more causes a ripple effect and makes other people smile. (Note: smiling is one of the simplest ways we can activate the Radiant Circuits, an energy system that is all about feelings of joy and well-being. Make a big smile and breathe, all the way down to your toes. Deeply breathe in and out several times while smiling broadly. I’ve shifted a dark or anxious mood that way many times.)

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5. Watch less network/cable news. Stop "Doom-scrolling."

News shows run on the “If it bleeds, it leads,” model of newscasting, which just increases our sense that everything is broken. There are great online newspapers, like “Fix the News,” that report GOOD things that are happening. And yes, there are a lot of wonderful things going on around the world.

We are all on information overload. Manage what you take in and how you take it in, as it will have a direct affect on your view of the world.

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6. Renewal

Find ways to renew your spirit. It could be a walk in nature. It could be by exercising, laughing at a silly movie, or playing a board game with friends. For me, doing a daily set of energy medicine exercises keeps me feeling good.

Find ways to renew yourself that bring you joy.

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7. Be the Change

Join groups that are working towards positive change. One person alone can get swallowed by despair. A group of determined people sincerely working together for the betterment of the world will make changes.

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8. School isn't Meant to be Easy

When I remember that life comes in ebbs and flows, I am a lot happier. There is a teaching in the Baha’i Faith about the concept of “Crisis and Victory,” and how crises cause us to grow, to find new ways of thinking, to stretch beyond ourselves. As I say in podcast interviews, this is “soul school.” It’s not meant to be easy. When we are in the “ebb,” in the crisis, it’s easier to bear if we remember that the flow will soon follow. Spring always follows winter.

Spring always follows winter. 

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9. Reframe It

I’ve written about this in many articles - the need to reframe our personal trials as our own Hero’s Journey. When we reframe what we are going through away from shame, away from frustration, but towards the heroic striving towards greater awareness, suddenly we are more open to the gifts our trials bring us - gifts like compassion, kindness, empathy, wisdom, and patience.

Just think about a flower seed planted in the soil. As new life grows within it, it splits open to reveal the beauty that had been hidden within.

As painful as growth can be, it reveals beauty beyond what we could ever imagine.

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10. Be Gentle With Yourself

The heading says it all. We can often be our own worst enemies, saying things to ourselves that we would never say to anyone else. We can’t worry or browbeat ourselves into being happy. For me, being gentle with myself means listening to what I need. Do I need a break? A nap? To exercise? Our bodies and spirits tell us what they need when we learn to listen.

Tiger, a.k.a. "Kid Tiggs," always knew how to relax. 

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Each one of us has our own part to play in creating a world that is based on love, kindness, creativity, mutual respect, and cooperation.

With love and a hopeful heart,

Andrea

P.S. Let me know what tools work for you. I will let you know how the exam goes! 

Leo, helping me study for my exam. So helpful! 

I am available for motivational speaking, classroom & online presentations, coaching, and podcasts. To book me, please email me at andrea@torreybalsara.com or visit my website. Thank you!