Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
New Visions
Finding Calm in Chaos: A Guide to Managing Fear

Finding Calm in Chaos: A Guide to Managing Fear

Last updated on: April 25, 2025 at 12:39 pm by Tom Rapsas

0 Comments

Finding Calm in Chaos: A Guide to Managing Fear 2025-04-25T12:39:29-06:00 Tom Rapsas

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How to face fear head-on through self-care, connection, and faith. Photo via Johannes Plenio and Unsplash.

“He who is afraid of a thing gives it power over him.” ~Ancient proverb

Are you a little freaked out by the news these days? Me too. It’s hard not to be fearful during these scary political and economic times. A quick glimpse of the headlines at any major news site, or a peek at the stock market on any given day, is enough to get your head spinning and your heart sinking.

But there’s something you can do about it, at least as far as your emotional and spiritual well-being are concerned. In times of crisis, I often turn to the advice of the late businessman and life philosopher John Templeton. He was prescient for our current times when he wrote:

Fear is one of the greatest challenges we face today, as individuals and as a society. Unreasoning, irrational fear can lock us in an invisible prison.

How bad has the fear gotten? I have a friend who, during a private conversation in her home, realized she had been bashing the President—in ear shot of her Amazon Alexa. She began wondering: Is Alexa listening and recording my conversation? Will this somehow come back to haunt me? It’s the type of irrational fear that Templeton was talking about.

Of course, today many types of fear are justified. Fear about the future of our country and our society, including the well-being of our family and friends, the poor, the elderly, the LGBQ community, the migrant population, the arts, Ukraine—and the list goes on and on!

But, in the words of author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, “you can look at F.E.A.R. two ways: Forget Everything and Run. Or Face Everything and Rise.” The choice is up to each of us whether we let fear overwhelm us or face it head-on.

In most every case, our fear does not help us.

Templeton once said, “Worry is like a rocking chair that gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.” Substitute “fear” for “worry” and you could come to the same conclusion: Fear is like a rocking chair that doesn’t get us anywhere!

What’s more, research shows that prolonged periods of fear can actually weaken our immune system. It reduces our ability to keep dormant viruses in check, makes us more susceptible to infections and illnesses, and can increase our heart rate and blood pressure. Not good things for anybody.

The good news is you can do something about your fear.

While the news can be a nonstop litany of doom and gloom, I once saw the author Tony Schwartz on a talk show, and he had valuable, practical guidance to offer. Schwartz is often on TV to discuss politics and the mercurial thought process of the president—but this time he was giving advice. He said what was hurting the country most today was fear. He then offered four ways to deal with it. The words in bold are his ideas and I then expand on them.

Get enough sleep. Seven or eight hours a day. I know some of you may say you can get by on five hours a night. I’m calling BS. A plethora of studies study show that we operate better with at least seven hours of sleep. Occasional trouble sleeping like me? Ease you way into sleep with a nighttime routine. Use breathwork to quiet the mind. Add to your sleep total by taking a mid-day nap.
Rest during the day. If you work at home, you know it can be easy to get attached to your computer for hours on end. Or if you’re not working, you might be glued to your smart phone. Take periodic breaks away from a screen.
Get some exercise. It may be the best way to work off excess stress. If you’re not a fan of the gym, develop an at-home exercise routine. Participate in an exercise class via your phone Head outside to walk, jog or run.
Connect with others. Rely on loved ones, co-workers, neighbors and extended family and friends for the camaraderie and support they can provide. If you’ve been blessed with “broader shoulders,” lend a compassionate ear to those who need it. Talking and listening are often the best medicine for what ails us.

Here’s a fifth way to combat fear that I’ve added:

Turn off the news. You may be a news junkie like me, but at a certain point the continuous feedback loop of negative news can crush anyone’s spirit. Turn the TV off. You know things are chaotic out there. You don’t need hour after hour of breaking news to reinforce this fact. Can’t stay away from the tube? Change your mindset by watching a comedy or love story.

And here’s one more point inspired by John Templeton, who I quoted earlier. Templeton believed in man’s better nature and that we are all capable of more than we might imagine. This includes the ability to move away from feelings of fear and pessimism to bravery and optimism, by realizing that we are not alone is this world.

Have faith. If you believe in God or a Supreme Being, now’s the time to reacquaint yourself with your faith. If reading the Bible does this for you, go for it. For others like me, it may involve re-reading your favorite spirituality books, engaging in contemplative prayer or meditating. These simple acts can both comfort and guide us.

A parting thought on faith, also from Templeton:

Fear may be a lack of awareness of the presence of God as a real force in our lives. With the realization of God’s active presence, many aspects of fear may disappear into the mists of the unreal. Like a snowball dropped into a pail of hot water, fear dissolves, and its energy is transmuted into positive faith.

Keep the faith and fight the fear! We’re going to get through this. Brighter days are ahead.

Previous Post

April 15, 2025

The Resurrection Within: Finding Light After Darkness

Next Post

May 1, 2025 What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"How?"

Craig

The Amazing World of Non-Speakers: Are ..."

"WoW Trey! This is a fabulous article just chock full of great insights and wisdom! ..."

I_Am_SheilaING

What a Guy Who Interviewed 500+ ..."

"I participate in a blog which reads theological works one chapter at a time before ..."

glen smith

The Amazing World of Non-Speakers: Are ..."

"this stuff has been disproven for a very long time. You can believe what you ..."

A fish with no hands

The Amazing World of Non-Speakers: Are ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 50+ Spirituality 60 Second Inspiration Activism Adversity Afterlife agape aging Aliens Angels Angels and aliens anger animism Astrology Atheists Attention Attitude Authenticity Awareness Awe Ayahuasca Balance Beginnings Being Present Belief Bhagavad Gita Bible birth of Jesus Blessings Bliss Bono Breathing Buddha Buddhism Calling cats Centered Centering Prayer Chakras Change Character Character and Aging Christ consciousness Christianity Christmas Church Civility commencement speeches commitments compassion Connecting with God Consciousness Contemplation Contemplative Prayer Contentment Conversations with God Coping Coping mechanisms Corinthians Coronavirus Covid creativity Daily practice Dalai Lama David Brooks David Frenette Death Deathbed visions Decisions determinism Discernment disconnecting Donald Shimoda Dreaming of the Dead dreams Drinking Easter Eastern religion Eckhart Tolle ego Elders Emerson Engagement Enlightenment everyday magic Evil Spirits Expectations experience Faith fate Fatima Fear Feel Finding God Fitness Fulfillment Gandhi Gary Zukav Generosity Giving Gnostic gospels Gnostics God God's will Golden Rule Good & Evil Gospel of Thomas Gospels Grace Gratitude Grief Growing Older Guardian Angels gumption Gurus Halloween Happiness health health and happiness Heaven Helping others High Strangeness Hinduism Holiday Season honesty Honor Hope Humility impostor syndrome inner music Inner Work Insights insomnia Inspiration Inspirational intuition Investing Jeff Bridges Jesus Jesus Christ John Templeton joy joy of life Justin Bieber Kaballah Kabbalah Karma Kindness koans Law of Attraction Life Life after Death Life and death Life Balance Life Hacks Life Lessons Life Path Life Philosophy Life Plan life purpose Life Rules Life Tips Life's Big Questions Lindsay Lohan Listening Living Intentionally Loneliness Love Magic Mark Twain Marriage Meaning of Life Meditation mentor Mentors Mid-Life Crisis Mindful Mindfulness Money Monks Multiverse Mysterious World mystical experience Mysticism Mystics Mythology Napoleon Hill Near Death Experience (NDE) New Thought New Year New Year's resolutions Noise Oprah out-of-body experience Parables Peace of mind philosophy Plant Intelligence Pope Francis Positive Thinking Prayer prayers for the spiritual Preachers Premonitions presence Prophecies Prophecy Prophets Psalms Purpose Purpose of Life quietude Quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Trine Reconnect Recovery reincarnation Relaxation Religion resolutions Resurrection Ritual Rituals Rules to Live By sadness Sam Harris Sandy Second Act Seeking self Self Mastery self-help self-improvement Seneca sermon sex shamans Sickness Silence Silence of God sleep small voice Smiling Social Activism solitude Soul Soul and Spirit Soul Awakening Spiritual Awakening spiritual beliefs spiritual guidance spiritual journey spiritual living spiritual path Spiritual philosophy Spiritual Practice Spirituality Spirituality and work Spooky Spirituality Stillness stoicism stoics Storytelling Stress Relief Success Suffering Suicide Surrender tao Thanks Thanksgiving the afterlife the bardo the Bible the Blues The Election the Kingdom the secret the self The Soul Thomas Keating Thomas Merton Thomas Moore Time Tony Robbins tradition UFOs Uncategorized Universe Values visualization Voice of God Wake Up Call Wake Up Call book Walls Walt Whitman Well-being Winter Blues Wisdom words to live by Work work/life balance worry Yogananda Zen

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012 April 2012 March 2012 January 2012 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 December 2009 November 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did the Israelites eat in the wilderness for 40 years?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Locusts Quail Manna Bread

Books by This Author Books by Wake Up Call

See All Titles »