Shifting My Energy

Political chaos, economic uncertainty, natural disasters, and endless depressing news cycles—it sometimes feels like the world is obsessed with the dark and depressing. The constant stream of bad news makes it feel like everything is teetering on the edge of collapse (I swear sometimes I feel just one more headline away from building a bunker in the woods).

There are days when I genuinely wonder how people manage to stay hopeful in the midst of it all — if they are. It’s not just the big, world-altering crises either, like the constant threats to democracy and global warming. It’s the smaller, insidious feeling that things just aren’t as good as they used to be. Communities feel more divided, patience thinner, and kindness rarer.

And yet, life keeps moving. My morning toast and coffee still smells amazing. The sun still rises. My local station master still waves on my morning walks. It’s these small things, the simple moments of normalcy, that keep me from spiralling into complete despair.

It’s a constant reminder to keep up the practice of gratitude when the doom and gloom feel overwhelming. It sounds cliché, but it works. Instead of letting the noise consume me, I pause and actively look for what’s right in my life.

I think about the fact that I have a roof over my head, food on my plate, people who care about me, and a loving, beautiful familt. I remind myself that even amidst global chaos, there are individuals out there planting trees, helping strangers, and fighting for a better future. Those stories might not get the same spotlight as the bad news, but they exist, and they matter.

When I feel like the weight of the world is too heavy, I take a walk. There’s something grounding about being in nature, where the trees and the wind don’t care about the latest global disaster. They’re a reminder that life has cycles—seasons of growth and decay, of hardship and renewal.

I realise it’s important to not internalise the hopelessness we’re constantly bombarded with. Instead, I focus on what I can control: being kind to others, supporting causes I believe in, and taking care of my own mental health.

Maybe that’s all we can really do—show up, take care of our little corner of the world, and trust that others are doing the same. Maybe it’s not about fixing everything, but about finding hope and gratitude in the things that are still beautiful, still good.

So yes, the world feels heavy nowadays. But it’s also full of moments that remind me why it’s worth holding onto hope. A kind word, a shared laugh, a sunset that stops you in your tracks—these are the things that keep me grounded.