The Courage to Stay Calm When there is Chaos
Sometimes our worlds are constantly buzzing, with opinions, updates, provocations, and noise, staying calm can feel like quite a radical act. Whether it’s a partner’s sharp tone, a parent’s disapproval, a friend’s silence, or something we scroll past on social media, external stimuli are everywhere. And more often than not, we let these moments steal our peace. Remember: What’s happening around you is not as important as what’s happening within you.
External Chaos and/or Internal Collapse?
Energy is contagious. Thoughts are magnetic. What others post, how they speak, what they project, all of it can impact your nervous system, your breathing, and your thoughts. It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos of the external world. But if peace is what you seek, looking outward will only take you further away from it.
This isn’t a call to be indifferent. It’s a call to come back to yourself, again and again. Because when you focus on others, their drama, their opinions, their triggers, you abandon your own center. And when you’re not centered, you become reactive.
Yet, there is always a gap between stimulus and response. In that gap lies your power and how you use that power determines whether you stay in peace or spiral into patterns.
Triggers Are Teachers in Disguise
We all have emotional triggers. And when they’re poked, especially by the people we love inevitably the nervous system fires up, and we often respond from an old wound instead of present wisdom.
But instead of reacting blindly, ask:
• Why is this affecting me?
• What am I making this mean?
• What can I do right now to let go of this?
• What would help me feel more peaceful inside, not just temporarily, but deeply?
These questions slow your breath, quiet the inner noise, and restore you to a place of choice. Because that is what this is about: choosing how you respond when others have forgotten how to.
A Vedic Perspective: The Eye of the Storm
From a Vedic lens, the mind (manas) is a tool, not the master. Our senses constantly pull us outward, distracting us from our dharma (true path). The more we engage with the chaos, the more fragmented we become.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna: “Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure.”
In other words: Act with awareness, not attachment. Let your stillness come from within, not from the illusion that peace exists in a quiet external world. Because that world will never be fully quiet. Vedic philosophy teaches that the sattvic mind, one that is clear, balanced, and in harmony, does not seek validation or peace outside. Instead, it cultivates self-control within.
Self-control is not passive. It is powerful.It’s the courage to be still in a world addicted to reaction.
The Mind and Motion Card of Love – A Self-Care Perspective Within the Mind and Motion Deck of Discovery, the card of Love is where Self-Care acts as a gentle mirror.
It asks, “What does love look like when it’s directed inward?” “What would change if you gave yourself the peace, you’re asking others to give you?”
This card isn’t about bubble baths and candles, though those have their place. It’s about emotional hygiene.
It’s about choosing what you take on and what you let go.It’s about checking in with yourself before checking your phone.It’s about setting boundaries not to push people away, but to stay close to your own center.
Self-care, in this lens, is a daily devotion to the peace within you. It’s how you show up, not only when life is calm, but when it’s not.
The “Love” card reminds us that we are always in relationship, with ourselves. And when that relationship is strong, other people’s chaos doesn’t shake us. It may still affect us, but it doesn’t own us.
Final Words: Anchor Yourself
The world will continue to spin. People will continue to post. Loved ones will continue to trigger. But your peace is not theirs to govern.
Your job and your power is to anchor yourself.
To pause. To breathe. To ask better questions. To respond from love, not lack. To choose stillness over spiraling. Because staying calm in chaos is not avoidance. It is maturity, it is mastery and it is medicine. Every time you reflect for yourself, you create ripples that make the world just a little more peaceful not by controlling it, but by no longer needing it to change for you to be calm.
Explore Further
The Mind and Motion Cards offer guided reflections like this to support your personal growth journey. These tools are designed to complement, not replace, professional support.
For more resources or to purchase the deck, please visit
https://www.monicapema.com/mindandmotiondeck
Monica Pema | Integrated Wellness Expert
MSc. Psychology
“From Passion to Purpose in All Walks of Life”
This article is intended for self-reflection and general education only. It is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or psychological care.
By
Sandy Deo
REMAX Landmark
0400920238
07 3189 6535
2/3 Curban Street Underwood
[email protected]
As we head into the last few months of the year, many businesses, particularly
in the trades and services sectors, enter one of their busiest periods.
Now is an ideal time to check the condition of your property’s key fixtures, such as air conditioning units that may not have been used for some time. Conducting a general inspection and addressing any issues early can help ensure everything is functioning correctly.
For many trade-related businesses, the lead up to Christmas often brings increased demand with clients seeking finalisation for works before end of year shutdown periods occur. For landlords, this can mean that unscheduled maintenance or repair work may take longer than usual to complete, depending on availability of trades in your area.
If a tenant lodges a maintenance request and your preferred transperson in unavailable within a reasonable timeframe, it is advisable to speak to your property manager. With a network of trusted, reliable and reputable trades and service providers, your property manager can help ensure necessary works are completed as efficiently as possible.
If you are already aware of upcoming repairs or maintenance, it’s recommended to discuss anticipated timeframes with relevant parties as early as possible. During peak periods, it’s not uncommon for lead times to be extended. Your property manager can support these discussions to ensure minimal disruption to tenants and clear expectations around scheduling.
In some cases, particularly for larger scale work, it may be more practical to schedule repairs or upgrades during a vacancy period to avoid tenant disruption. Additionally, considering how timing will impact the property’s readiness for leasing.
If you are planning on any work being completed over the December/January period, it’s best to check availability and scheduling with trades and contractors as early as possible.
For routine, scheduled maintenance, minimal disruption is expected. Your property manager will ensure appropriate notice is given to tenants.
CREDIT: REMAX AUSTRALIA
