Staying Sane in an Insane World

How do I stay sane in this insane world?

This is one question I’ve repeatedly asked myself over the past several years.

I wish I had THE answer, but truthfully, I still struggle daily. Yet, I’ve discovered a few reliable practices that help me climb back onto the bandwagon of inner peace and equanimity whenever I inevitably fall off. (And honestly, it happens more often than I’d like to admit.) I’ve learned that staying sane is a process, not a permanent state.

It’s much like meditation: whenever my mind wanders, I gently acknowledge it, express gratitude for noticing, and return my focus to the present. This cycle repeats itself countless times. Similarly, each time I slip away from inner peace, I restart the practice of recentering. Permanent enlightenment may be beyond reach, but as long as I keep climbing back onto the bandwagon, I improve my odds of spending more time in the right mental space, moving forward, following my calling, and hopefully making a difference.

Here are the core practices that serve me well — and I hope they serve you, too:

1. Control and Focus Your Attention

In recent years, I’ve become highly selective about my information diet. Five years ago, I took the initially painful step of deleting my Instagram account and removing the app from my devices. It was difficult to decide but easy to implement. Once done, I never looked back. Doomscrolling creates anxiety and panic, undermines inner peace, derails priorities, and fuels negative emotions such as envy. It shortens our attention span, promotes aimlessness, and fosters feelings of inadequacy. These reasons alone were sufficient to say, “No more!”

The next step was even more challenging. As a former political science student, I was addicted to watching the news — so much so that missing a news broadcast led me to stream it later from the archives. Clearly, this addiction had to end. It took a whole month to adjust, but it was unquestionably the right decision. Today, I rarely seek news, prioritizing sources that provide genuine insight over anger and panic about things I cannot control. Attention is our scarcest currency. Let’s spend it deliberately, sparingly, and wisely — in ways that enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.

2. Strengthen Your Inner Foundation

Another crucial practice is building clarity and resilience through activities that fortify me physically, emotionally, or mentally: walking, exercising, meditating, journaling, reading, speaking, and engaging in deep work. I intentionally invest more time in activities that enhance rather than erode my foundation of inner peace. Helping others and maintaining a vegan lifestyle also significantly contribute to this inner strength and resilience.

3. Take Responsibility and Meaningful Action

I have chosen to focus only on what I can control or influence. As Epictetus wisely noted, worrying about things outside our control wastes precious time, money, and energy. Instead, I deliberately plan and act decisively within my circle of influence, practicing intentional ignorance toward uncontrollable external factors. Recognizing the modest scope of my actions requires humility, yet their purposeful nature creates meaningful momentum in my personal development, work, and community. Most days, this provides enough purpose, meaning, and motivation to keep me going.

4. Leverage Change Instead of Resisting It

Humans instinctively fear and resist change — and I’m no exception. However, rather than succumbing to emotional reactions, I consciously seek new opportunities within each disruption. I ask myself: “How can I leverage this change instead of resisting it?” Courage is an action, while fear is a reaction. Therefore, I choose proactive engagement with change rather than passive resistance.

5. Choose Stories and Contexts That Empower You

The stories and contexts we embrace profoundly shape our perceptions, emotional responses, and resilience. When faced with uncertainty, consciously selecting empowering narratives is crucial. For example, studying history reminds me that humanity has repeatedly overcome profound crises. Civilizations like the Roman Republic and Athenian democracy flourished for centuries and eventually collapsed, yet their powerful legacies inspired new eras of enlightenment and progress. Adopting narratives of resilience, renewal, and rebirth transforms anxiety into perspective and chaos into clarity. Choosing empowering stories isn’t merely inspirational — it’s strategically essential.

6. Maintain Strong Relationships

Nurturing strong, meaningful relationships has been indispensable in my journey toward inner peace. No relationship has been more foundational than the one I share with my wife, Julie. She is compassionate, magnanimous, growth-oriented, and consistently challenges, inspires, and kicks my ass to do better, to be better. Relationships like ours provide emotional support, intellectual stimulation, and necessary reality checks. They remind us that, despite the chaos, we are not alone. Whether through partners, friends, mentors, or communities, meaningful relationships anchor us during uncertain times. I feel deeply blessed to have Julie, and fortunate are those who cultivate such profound connections.

7. Prepare, Don’t Panic

When the world feels unstable, I channel my energy into strategic preparation rather than succumbing to panic. Reinforcing adaptability becomes my priority. I strive for financial security, maintain robust physical health, and cultivate strategic thinking as an essential defense against uncertainty. Preparation breeds confidence, and confidence reduces fear. Shifting from reactive panic to proactive readiness helps me remain calm and effective, regardless of external turbulence.

Ultimately, when reason, compassion, empathy, and humanity seem to fail, the answer lies within the question itself: we must embody these virtues. By becoming examples of sanity in an insane world, we preserve these ideals — not merely conceptually but practically, through daily actions and decisions. Every conscious effort to recenter, every mindful act of compassion, every step toward resilience becomes a testament to our deepest values.

I encourage you to consistently revisit these practices — not just to preserve your sanity but to amplify it. Together, we can become beacons of clarity and stability in a turbulent world.