By Leo Babauta

These days, the world (and our lives) can feel out of control — alarming news, a wild political situation, global warming and economic markets all in turmoil.

When things feel this shaky and out of control, our emotions can spiral and it throws our lives into chaos. What can we do?

The practice I’m going to share with you today is how to find internal steadiness, when everything around you is unsteady.

The practice is to focus on attending to our internal state. To find calm and peace no matter what’s happening externally.

Let’s dive into it!

Focusing on What We Can Control

We can’t control the markets, what’s happening politically, how other people are acting, the ongoing climate change crisis, or the AI revolution. When things feel out of control, it can send us spinning.

So our practice will focus on what we can control: putting our attention on our internal state. We can’t necessarily control our inner state — if it’s in turmoil, we can’t always stop that — but just by resting our attention gently on the inner state, things can start to calm.

So let’s talk about how to practice.

How to Practice

First, just notice that you’re feeling shaky. Maybe you’re feeling a lot of uncertainty and overwhelm, maybe frustration or anger, maybe you’re feeling shaken up and in turmoil. Just notice it, and name it: what are you feeling?

Don’t get caught up in thoughts about what you’re feeling, or judgments. Just notice that it’s there, and name it. Don’t add a whole narrative, or catastrophize about it. It’s not a big deal to feel something.

Next, just rest your attention gently on the sensations of the feeling. That means notice how the feeling feels in your body, as physical sensations. Does it feel tight, does it move around? Just bring awareness to the physical sensation, and keep your awareness there — stay with it.

Breathe deeply and slowly, soothing your nervous system.

Let yourself settle down in the moment with whatever you’re feeling. It’s OK to feel turmoil — can you sit calmly in the center of the storm of what you’re feeling? This takes practice, so don’t expect to be any good at it at first. But you’ll start to get the hang of it, if you practice a few times a day for just a minute or two.

Slowly, you’ll develop the ability to sit calmly and openly in the middle of any storm.

And that’s when you’ll feel powerful: because you don’t need the world to change to find your inner calm. It’s always there, always accessible, and always beautiful.