How I keep going when everything feels up in the air
Ideas on staying sane and re-centering amidst chaos.
My current state of being feels like a pendulum swinging from hopeful motivation to existential frustration. I feel the constant tension of uncertainty — not only professionally, but also philosophically. I find myself questioning my views, values, ideals, and life goals. It’s exhausting.
I’m no the only one. Conversations keep boiling down to the same “life jitters”. Everything is shattering, vibrating, melting, stagnating.
There’s a strange tension that comes with uncertainty. It’s the kind of discomfort that creeps up when you realize you’re not really in control, no matter how hard you try. Whether you're working for a company where job security increasingly feels like an illusion or you're carving your own path as an independent professional with a dwindling pipeline, the constant pressure to stay active can be overwhelming.
When everything around us is shaking, the easiest thing to do is to move, to do something — anything! — to fill the void and reassure ourselves that we’re not just standing still and giving in (or giving up).
I grew up as the generation to “just do it”. Work hard, play hard. Have a job, and a side-hustle, and a fruitful hobby. Success is a constant forward-motion. No standing still. And most of my career, that worked out just fine for me.
But a few years ago, things started drying up. Along with my fading motivation and a deep sense of disillusionment with, first, my industry, then business in general, I was beginning to lose my sense of self. What happened to the career I had struggled and compromised so much for? Who was I without my professional label?
Again, I wasn’t the only one. Add to that the ongoing economic, political and social turbulences that is modern life, it’s enough to give you a persistent heartache.
I turned to strategy for help
I never thought I’d actually strategize for myself — not as a tool for growth or success, but as a way to stay sane and centered. At first, I viewed myself as a brand (the obvious route). When that felt too corporate and void of, well, me, I just used the principles to answer these questions instead:
Where did I want to go and what did I want to contribute?
What did I want my everyday to look and feel like?
What did I need to be productive, happy, sane?
In times of chaos, it’s not about rushing to act—it’s about finding the clarity to know what to do next. And that clarity is what transforms a raging waterfall into a steadily flowing river, with bends and all.
Sustainable progress comes from the ability to move with intent. Having a clear, strategic approach to our professional lives offers more than just stability — it offers resilience.
Resilience, in this context, goes from professional stability to the capacity to adapt, to pivot, and to find meaning in phases of uncertainty. The old metric of "job security" has lost its relevance. In its place stands a more powerful and practical measure: resilience.
To build resilience — and rebuild my world in the process — I needed to go beyond the surface to find ways to practice resilience, not just wish it into being. I especially like the idea of resilience as learning to bend without breaking.
A few ideas I’ve found helpful along the way:
Embrace the “unproductive” moments
We often think of resilience as synonymous with constant activity — working harder, pushing through, staying busy, trying new things on repeat. But practical resilience sometimes requires the opposite: slowing down, stepping away, and even allowing ourselves to be "unproductive." In a world where burnout is a growing epidemic, embracing moments of stillness or creative pause can restore mental clarity and energy.
Research from the University of California found that deliberate downtime increases creativity, problem-solving skills, and resilience in general, as it allows your brain to recharge and reframe challenges from new perspectives.
Say “No” more often
We’re taught that success comes from seizing every opportunity, saying “Yes” to everything, and being ever-available. But saying "No" is a radical act of self-preservation. Setting boundaries has become essential for maintaining mental and emotional resilience. It’s not about shutting doors, but about protecting our time, focus, and energy for what truly matters. And knowing what that thing is that truly matters.
Psychologist and author Dr. Adam Grant highlights that learning to say “No” — not just to others, but also to your own impulses — is an essential skill in maintaining long-term well-being and productivity. It’s a counterintuitive, yet powerful, form of resilience.
Reframe failure: It’s not the end
The fear of failure often paralyzes us, especially in insecure environments. We need to learn to embrace failure by reframing the story we tell in our heads. Failure isn’t an end or an assessment; it’s a data point. By shifting our perspective and seeing our failures as feedback, we can continuously learn, improve, and grow. It’s the concept of “growth mindset”.
Escape your echo chamber
It’s easy to fall into the trap of only consuming information that fits our worldview — especially when we feel lost or stuck. But exploring ideas beyond our own echo chamber fosters greater resilience and opens us up to think of new possibilities. Picking up books, reading articles, or listening to podcasts that challenge our thinking, or diving into topics we know little about.
Curiosity opens us up to new perspectives, making us more informed when things shift and helping us recognize patterns when they emerge. The more we expose ourselves to different ideas and voices, the better we’ll be at navigating whatever comes next.
Resilience is learning to bend without breaking.
Resilience is developing the ability to adapt, to bounce back when things don’t go as planned, and to stay grounded even when the world feels like it’s falling apart. It's not about securing the future anymore, but about building the strength and skills to navigate whatever comes next.
By embracing pauses, setting boundaries, and reframing failures, I’m convinced we’ll be better equipped to thrive, no matter what the world looks like.