Finding Steadiness in a Shaken World:

Emotional Regulation for Troubled Times   

By Rachel Deese, LPC-MHSP | HeartLife Counselor

The past weeks have carried a steady stream of headlines that stir unease—school shootings, violent attacks in public places, and tragedies replayed on loop through our devices. Even when the danger is far away, the images don’t easily fade. Our minds keep them alive, and our bodies respond as if the threat is unfolding again and again. Parents especially feel the weight, carrying both their own fear and the burden of wondering how to protect their children in a world that feels unpredictable and unsafe.  

Technology magnifies this effect. What once may have been a passing news story now lingers as constant exposure—videos, commentary, and alerts pulling our attention back to danger. It can feel nearly impossible to escape the cycle of alarm.  

And so, we ask: in an anxious, hyperconnected world, how do we find steadiness—not by denying what’s happening, but by learning to regulate our emotions and anchor ourselves in truth?  

Honesty About What We Feel  

Emotional regulation begins with honesty. Anxiety, fear, and dread are not signs of weakness; they are natural responses to a world that can be frightening. From a therapeutic perspective, naming what we feel is the first step in calming the nervous system. When we put words to emotions—“I feel afraid,” “I feel unsettled”—we begin to bring order to what feels overwhelming inside.  

What we must guard against is numbing or feeding those emotions instead of naming them. Many of us try to quiet our unease in different ways—alcohol, endless scrolling on social media, overspending, overeating, or staying perpetually busy. These distractions may soothe us for a moment, but they don’t bring true regulation. They mask the turmoil and often leave us more restless afterward. A healthier and more balanced approach is to acknowledge what we feel—without judgment—and give ourselves permission to bring those feelings into the light.  

The Bible does not shy away from raw honesty. David cried out in Psalm 13: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? … How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” (v. 1–2). Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, named His anguish: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:34). Naming emotions is not unspiritual—it is faithful and human. By acknowledging the truth of what we feel, we begin to open the door to steadiness.  

Finding Our Bearings in the Present  

Grounding doesn’t always come after naming emotions—sometimes it has to come first. When feelings are too big to put into words, starting with the body helps us return to calm so the words can follow. At other times, grounding is what keeps emotions from spinning out after they’ve already been named.  

Scripture reminds us that God’s presence is our first grounding place. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). When fear rises, He invites us to be still and remember He is near. Psalm 131:2 captures this posture: “I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child with its mother.”  

In these moments, it can feel tempting to consume more content—refreshing the news feed, scrolling through commentary, or chasing one more article in hopes of making sense of it all. But information is not truth. It can inform us, but it cannot anchor us. Understanding ultimately comes from what is steady and unchanging, not from the shifting stream of headlines.  

Practical strategies help bring our bodies into alignment with what our minds are working to remember:  

• Breathing deeply — Slowing the breath signals the nervous system that you are safe. 

• Grounding through the senses — Name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This simple exercise interrupts spiraling thoughts.  

• 5-4-3-2-1 with colors — When smell or taste aren’t accessible, another option is to choose a different color for each number: find five items of the first color, four of a second, three of a third, two of a fourth, and one of a fifth. This can be especially helpful in the car when a sudden wave of anxiety hits, or when your mind won’t stop spiraling, because it focuses your attention on what is real and present.  

• Limit doom-scrolling — Constant exposure to tragic images and headlines intensifies unease and keeps our bodies in a cycle of alarm.  

Why this matters: when we ruminate—replaying tragedies or running worst-case scenarios—our bodies often can’t tell the difference between memory and reality. The nervous system fires as if danger is happening now. Grounding breaks that loop, calming the body so the mind can follow, and in that steadiness, we hear truth more clearly.  

What Holds Us Steady  

Whether it begins with honesty or with grounding, the deeper invitation is to hold to what is true. Our minds will drift toward fear, because fear shouts the loudest and our bodies are wired to scan for danger. But each time we notice the drift, we can return to what is steady. 

This isn’t about forcing ourselves to “think positive.” It’s about forming patterns that remind us of who God is in the middle of uncertainty. Worship shifts our gaze upward, magnifying His greatness above our anxieties. Gratitude reshapes our perspective, moving us from what we lack to what He has already provided. And Scripture holds us steady with promises in black and white—truths that do not bend or break with the news cycle or with our emotions.  

God never promises that we or our children will be spared from hardship. Jesus was honest: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The promise is not of ease but of His presence and power. And through Isaiah, He assures us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2).  

When fear presses in, we can ask: What holds the center of my vision right now—uncertainty, or God’s unchanging truth? Choosing to bring worship, gratitude, and promises into that center allows fear to move back into the periphery, where it no longer governs our perspective.  

In Summary  

Emotional regulation isn’t about getting rid of difficult emotions but about learning how to respond to them with steadiness. Life will continue to hold both beauty and brokenness, and while we can’t control that, we can learn how to meet it differently. Through practice, our bodies can calm, our minds can be trained, and the Spirit works with us in that process. This doesn’t take away the reality of pain, but it changes how we move through it. Instead of being carried away by fear or uncertainty, we can meet those moments with steadiness and peace that grows over time.