Keeping Yourself Sane in Crazy Times
Micro practices for when the world feels like too much.
Times are scary, and unless you’re totally checked out (no judgment if you are), every day offers a fresh new fear, outrage, or moment of collective absurdity. With the constant deluge of news and bad behavior online, many of us have become desensitized—a survival instinct, maybe—but also more separate from each other than ever. Not to be all gloom and doom!
But when we're in survival mode, it gets really hard to hold multiple truths at once, stay grounded in empathy, and see each other with curiosity or compassion. I’m not writing this from on high—I’m in it, too. I’ve broken my “no negative comments on Instagram” rule lately, and I swing between anger, heartbreak, and helplessness multiple times daily.
The brain craves certainty, especially during chaotic times. But certainty is rarely available, and binary thinking (good/bad, right/wrong, us/them) tends to collapse our ability to stay present, clear, and connected. The more space we can create inside ourselves to hold complexity, the better we can:
Not excuse harmful behavior, but stay compassionate and understanding
Honor anger, grief, and frustration without letting them paralyze
Care for ourselves in a real way, without thoroughly checking out
I recognize that achieving this level of calm and clarity is very difficult. So, I wanted to share a few thoughts and tiny practices if you need the support.
I’m focusing on very, very short practices, as even 20–30 minutes can feel like too much. When the body is in freeze mode (imagine one foot on the gas, one on the brake), pushing or “trying harder” can backfire. It can actually increase dysregulation.
That’s where micro-practices come in.
These are tiny shifts you can make in a minute or less. They’re not about fixing or transcending anything. Just little footholds that help you return to yourself, soften reactivity, or feel a breath’s worth of steadiness. In theory, you can practice them anywhere.
Here are three to try:
1. Name What’s Real
A witnessing awareness practice
When the mind spirals or everything feels like too much, pause.
Ask yourself: “What is real and unchanging right now?”
It might be your breath, the floor beneath you, or simple awareness.
Even just 15 seconds of orienting to something steady inside or around you can interrupt the swirl and bring you back to the part of you that is always present, always here. Thoughts, emotions, and sensations come and go, but awareness is always unchanging with us. This is the inner witness, the drashtā—a deeply stabilizing concept in yoga and nondual Indian philosophy.
2. Ground Through the Feet
A simple embodiment reset
Stand or sit. Bring all your attention to the soles of your feet.
Press down gently and feel for the floor coming up to meet you where you are.
This is embodied vairāgya—not detachment by shutting down, but the release that comes when you remember the support that’s already here.
It’s a practice of being supported by the ground for a moment.
3. A Breath and a Mantra
A moment of connection
Close your eyes if it's comfortable.
Take one slow breath.
On the inhale, silently say: Om
On the exhale: Tat Sat*
(That is the Truth. That is what I am.)
Repeat as many times as needed, using the mantra's sound as an anchor. Mantras are especially helpful for quieting a ruminating mind. While Sanskrit might feel unfamiliar at first, we use it for a few reasons, beyond honoring the roots of yoga. Sanskrit is a vibrational language, and its sound quality can be deeply soothing to the nervous system.
***
These tiny, doable practices can make a difference, not by changing the world in that moment, but by supporting yourself so that you can be as effective as you can be in the way you need to be.
Whatever helps you not check out but also not collapse is the tool that matters right now.
No shame, no pressure. Just tiny ways to come back to yourself.