Staying Sane in a Batshit Crazy World

On showing up during precarious times

The world feels batshit crazy right now.

The news. Your social media feeds. The division. The delusion. The violence.

If you’re feeling anxious, angry, or just done, you’re not alone. So many people are feeling this way.

But we can’t give up on good. We can’t give up on ourselves. We can’t give up on each other. We need good and decent people to be good and decent now more than ever.

Living in perilous times is nothing new. But what is new is a media and information system that is like methamphetamine for your brain.

On the one hand, it’s tempting to check out completely.

On the other hand, you can try to follow every single thing at every single moment and get completely caught up in rage, hate, and despair. You can totally lose your mind—this isn’t just hypothetical, it happens to countless people every day.

Neither of these approaches is particularly helpful.

What is helpful: picking your spots, not getting caught up in stupidity and delusion and senseless division, standing up for what you believe in, embracing nuance when it’s there, finding things that make you feel alive, and doing everything you can to be kind and decent to yourself and to each other.

Here’s a brief guide to staying sane in an insane world. I’m doing my best to keep these principles and practices in mind every day. I hope it helps you too.

1. Don’t ignore reality.

Whether it’s societal factors or personal challenges, you have to separate what you can control from what you can’t—and then do your best to focus on the former.

You can acknowledge darkness and still choose to show up with light.

You can practice tragic optimism,

a term coined by Viktor Frankl that allows you to hold space for hardship and hope at the same time. It's not naive—it’s resilient.

2. Be values driven—and kind.

In a world on edge, it’s tempting to go numb or lash out. But there’s strength in holding your ground without becoming an asshole.

It’s better to be kind than clever.

You can disagree and still be decent. You can set boundaries. You can be empathetic. All this can be true at once. Nobody can take away your values. Stand up for what matters, and do it with heart.

3. Respond not react.

Do everything you can to create space between stimulus and response.

In that space, consider your values. Consider your empathy. Consider your humanity.

Even if that space is small Even if that space feels shaky.

Only then move forward. Do this again and again and again.

4. Avoid getting frozen in inaction.

When everything feels overwhelming, action is the antidote.

Do things that make you feel alive.

Make music. Paint. Play sports. Volunteer.

The brain often follows the body. You don’t have to feel good to get going, you have to get going to give yourself a chance at feeling good. You don't always need motivation—sometimes you just need motion.

5. Don’t get sucked into how utterly dumb things can be.

Give attention and energy to the right stuff.

When you notice you’re consuming information (perhaps especially politics) more like WWE or reality TV, the most radical thing is to TURN IT OFF. It’s true that sometimes the lines are blurred between this is so dumb and this will have a real impact on me, but be wary of idiots who want nothing more than to mire you in anger.

6. Get offline altogether.

Scrolling won’t save you. Neither will rage-clicking, doom-posting, or algorithmic validation. The world may be on fire. But burning yourself out helps no one.

Call your elected official. Build or create something. Help a neighbor. Do meaningful stuff in the real world.

7. Be a thoughtful media consumer.

The algorithm is set to spread conspiracy and division. This is bad for all of us.

Don’t bury your head in the sand, but also realize when you are checking the news only because you’ve become addicted to the jolt of anxiety you get.

Once you’ve become informed and taken any actions that may help, then it’s a great time to read a book or take a walk.

8. Practice emotional flexibility.

Research shows that people who make room for hope while also feeling loss demonstrate greater resilience. Toxic positivity and delusion lead to denial that anything is ever wrong. Extreme pessimism and despair suggest any action is pointless.

Between these extremes is a third option: committing to wise hope and wise action. This requires not being afraid to feel sadness while at the same time experiencing joy and keeping your resolve.

9. Sanity is a practice.

In a world that rewards outrage and distraction, calm is a rebellious act.

Consistency beats intensity. Progress beats perfection. Stay close to your values. Stay close to your people. Stay close to what makes you feel alive.

Be good. Be kind. Be decent.

None of this is about pretending things are fine. It’s about becoming the kind of person who can face the world with courage and grace and grit, who can do good and be good.