Relaxing with Chaos

By Leo Babauta

There’s a big part of us that doesn’t like chaos: we want order and simplicity and feeling like we’re on top of things and doing things the “right” way.

And so when things feel chaotic, we scramble for some kind of stability:

Do you relate to any of these examples? In fact, the uncertainty of our chaotic lives is perhaps the main cause of our anxiety, stress, frustration, self-doubt, fears, procrastination, distraction and more.

We know when we’re feeling this chaos when we’re reaching for a new tool, system, method, tactic, plan, expert, book on a topic … or our phones.

There is nothing wrong with any of these things. It’s just how we normally respond to chaos.

But if we could relax in the middle of that chaos, it could do so much for us:

The training is to learn to relax with chaos. And from that place, decide on the next simple step.

Training with the Chaos

The training is to notice when we’re feeling chaos … and then use it as a kind of meditation, to breathe and then relax.

Notice when you’re feeling chaos. You don’t have to look for it – you’re probably feeling it right now. The world will always give us enough chaos to practice with. It’s a gift.

Notice it, and then pause.

Breathe. Deep into your belly, slowly, letting yourself relax with each breath.

Then learn to relax with this feeling of chaos, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, shakiness, groundlessness.

Breathe, and with each breath, relax into the feeling of uncertainty and chaos.

Repeat.

If you’d like to train with me, join my Fearless Training Program.