This week, in the middle of a chaotic day of emails, family emergencies, and the looming dread of another news cycle, I stopped the spiraling & set it all down for a bit. 

I pulled out my fall decor bins, cinnamon sticks, food dehydrator and made simmer pot bags. Then I dropped vanilla beans into vodka to start homemade vanilla extract. Then I walked three miles. Was it “productive”? Not by any capitalist checklist. But here’s the truth we keep forgetting: not every moment has to move the needle.

That’s where I find myself these days. Politics is loud. The world feels heavy. Everyone seems to be shouting their point across the table, and we’re all just… tired.

But this week, Jen Hatmaker’s new book Awake landed in our laps, and I swear it feels like a holy invitation. She is coaching us on what’s ours to carry, and what’s not. What we can heal, and what we can lovingly set down.

And maybe that’s the only way through this messy season: notice what’s yours to carry, what’s yours to let go, and where you can pour love and light right where you stand.

That’s the rhythm I want to live in: small joy, steady awareness, daily action. And it begins not by taking on the whole planet, but by tending to our own bodies, family & community first.

Why Small & Sincere Matters

The message? Shrink the circle until it feels doable.

Here are tiny ways to change your corner of the world:

1. Listen Fully. When someone is talking, put your phone down & really hear them. Feeling seen is one of the greatest gifts.

2. Feed these People. Cook a meal for a neighbor, drop muffins at the fire station, stock the Little Free Pantry near you. I have been doing Make a Meal Monday for over a decade & few things are more rewarding.

3. Show Up. Your girlfriends need to be an integral part of your survival plan. More on this later.  

4. Love Loud at Home. Hug your people, tell them you’re proud, and gather around the table. Home is the first place we change the world.

How to Reset Your Nervous System (in the Middle of the Madness)

We cannot carry the weight of the world and also love our people well if our own nervous systems are fried. Here are a few small resets that actually work:

1. Step Outside. So, this really works! Go barefoot in the grass, let the sun hit your face, and breathe deeply. It sounds too simple, but your body will thank you for grounding it back in the real world.

2. Shake It Out. Literally! Put on a song (the sillier the better) and dance in your kitchen. Resetting your nervous system with movement lets science and silliness work hand in hand.

3. Single-Task for 5 Minutes. Sip tea without scrolling. Fold laundry while humming. Stir a pot and do nothing else. Our brains crave simple, stolen moments of peace.

4. Breathe Like You Mean It. Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four. Repeat. Box breathing is a game-changer & can be done anywhere at any time. Your body will downshift in real time.

And while we’re talking about survival strategies, let’s just say out loud: you need your girlfriends. Period!

Women are not meant to muscle through this life alone. When the world feels like too much, it’s your people who sit on your couch with queso and let you cry into a paper towel because you’re out of Kleenex. They remind you that you’re not crazy, you’re not weak, and you’re not the only one lying awake at 2 a.m., wondering if the future is going off a cliff.

Your community, your ride-or-dies, your “bring wine and don’t knock” friends, are not just nice to have. They are essential. Because when we gather, we don’t just comfort each other. We laugh until we wheeze, we pray when one of us can’t find the words, and we remind each other that joy is in each other.

So yes, breathe and walk and shake it out, but also text your girls and say, “Nachos tonight?” That, too, is medicine.

The Good Work Is Right Here!

We don’t need to fix everything. We are not designed for that. What we can do is wake up every morning and ask: How can I leave today a little better than I found it?

Sometimes that looks like calling your senator. Sometimes it looks like cutting strawberries for your teenager before practice. Sometimes it looks like simmer bags and vanilla extract in the middle of a Tuesday.

We are awake. We are paying attention. And we are remembering that joy and love and small good things will ripple further than we think.