The world feels heavy these days. From a changing climate and global conflicts to economic uncertainty, daily headlines can leave even the steadiest among us feeling anxious and drained. It’s understandable if you sometimes find yourself overwhelmed or numb. The late Dr. Jane Goodall knew this feeling too. Yet in the face of extinctions and turmoil, she embodied a quiet, grounded hope. “It’s not too late,” Goodall often insisted, urging people to resist despair and take action even amid planetary crises. Her life’s work became an antidote to apathy—a reminder that hope and small, purposeful steps can light even the darkest times.
Like Goodall, each of us can cultivate psychological resilience, even as the world fractures around us. Below are evidence-backed practices to help calm your mind and regulate your well-being. Think of them as tools you can draw on daily, helping you stay centered, hopeful, and engaged with life’s meaning, no matter what challenges come your way.
Regulate the Body
Our physical state deeply influences our mental state. When stress mounts, caring for the body creates a foundation for emotional resilience. Simple routines to calm your nervous system and strengthen your body can buffer you against stress:
- Prioritize consistent, restorative sleep: A good night’s sleep is a biological necessity for emotional regulation. Research finds that high-quality sleep boosts our capacity to cope with stress and build higher resilience. Protect your sleep by keeping a regular schedule and a calming pre-bed routine, knowing that each night of rest refuels your ability to face the day’s ups and downs.
- Stay physically active: Moving your body is a proven mood-lifter and stress reducer. Regular exercise—even a daily walk or some stretching—is linked to lower rates of anxiety and depression, in part because it strengthens psychological resilience (White, Biddle, et al. 2024). Multiple studies show that physical activity not only directly improves mental health but also helps people bounce back from challenges more effectively (White, Biddle, et al. 2024). You don’t need to train for a marathon; any activity that gently increases your heart rate, from gardening to dancing in your kitchen, can release tension and spur your brain’s production of mood-enhancing chemicals. Over time, an active body teaches your nervous system that it can recover from stress and come back to balance.
- Practice calming breath or relaxation techniques: When panic or anger strikes, your breath is an anchor you carry everywhere. Slow, deep breathing exercises activate the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) side of your nervous system, counteracting the fight-or-flight stress response. Try techniques like diaphragmatic breathing (breathing deep into the belly), a simple 4-7-8 breath, or progressive muscle relaxation. In moments of crisis, a few steady breaths can be the difference between spiraling into panic or responding with grounded clarity.
Anchor the Mind
Resilience also lives in how we think and where we focus our attention. Cultivating mindfulness and flexible thinking helps you face difficulties with a steadier outlook:
- Practice mindfulness: Training your mind to stay present can soften the mental chatter that fuels anxiety. Mindfulness, which is simply observing your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment, has been shown to reduce emotional distress and build coping strength. In times of uncertainty, mindfulness teaches you to notice worries without immediately reacting to them. Rather than ruminating on every what-if, you learn to gently bring your focus back to right now.
- Reframe negative thoughts: The stories we tell ourselves about adversity shape how well we cope. Resilience doesn’t mean ignoring harsh realities; it means choosing a balanced perspective about them. Psychologists call this cognitive reappraisal—intentionally looking at a challenge in a new light. For example, instead of “I will never get through this,” you might tell yourself, “This is really hard, but I might learn something from it” or “I’ve handled difficult things before.” This isn’t mere positive thinking—it’s a proven technique to regulate emotions. A 2024 meta-analysis found compelling evidence that reinterpreting stressful events in a more hopeful or constructive way protects you against the harms of stress and significantly enhances personal resilience (Stover, Shulkin, and Rapp 2024).
Reconnect With Purpose
In turbulent times, one of the most stabilizing forces is a sense of meaning. Dr. Goodall often spoke of “hope through action”—focusing on even the smallest ways to make a positive difference. Connecting to something larger than yourself, whether it’s a cause, a community, or a personal mission, can transmute helplessness into purpose.
- Help others in small ways: Altruism is a natural antidepressant. When you feel powerless about world events, doing something kind for someone else—checking on a neighbor, volunteering locally, or supporting a cause you care about—can restore a sense of efficacy and hope. You don’t have to save the world single-handedly; focus on local and doable actions.
- Align with your values and “why”: During chaos, your sense of purpose is like a North Star that keeps you oriented. Take time to remember what truly matters to you—whether it’s family, creativity, faith, social justice, or any personal passion. Ask yourself, “What kind of person do I want to be through this? What values do I want to stand for?” When you anchor to your core values, hardship can become more bearable because it gains context.
Finding Hope and Agency Amid the Chaos
In the spirit of Dr. Goodall’s enduring optimism, let this be a gentle call to presence and hope. You are needed, and you’re not alone. By cultivating resilience within, you become a source of calm strength in a chaotic world. And through countless modest acts of courage and care, we can each help stitch a bit of wholeness back into our fractured world—together.
