"5" to Thrive in 2025 - Week 11: Resilience in a Time of Chaos

Life can feel overwhelming, especially when the world seems to be spinning out of control. The key to navigating uncertainty isn’t found in resisting chaos but in learning how to move through it with resilience. This week, we’re focusing on five essential ways to build resilience, stay grounded, and protect your mental well-being.

1. Turn Off the News and Curate Your Social Media Intake

It’s no secret that we live in an era of information overload. The 24-hour news cycle and endless scrolling on social media can flood your mind with negativity, heightening anxiety and stress. Constant exposure to distressing content activates the brain’s amygdala, which is responsible for processing fear and emotional responses. This can keep you in a heightened state of stress, making it harder to focus, sleep, and feel at ease in your daily life.

Curating your media intake doesn’t mean being uninformed—it means being intentional. Set time limits for news consumption, choose reliable sources that present balanced perspectives, and follow content that uplifts and educates rather than drains you. By doing this, you create mental space for clarity and peace instead of absorbing chaos that isn’t yours to carry.

Why is this important? Constant exposure to distressing content can keep you in a heightened state of stress, making it harder to focus, sleep, and feel at ease in your daily life. Over time, this can negatively impact your mental and physical health.

Action Step: Set a daily time limit for consuming news, unfollow accounts that consistently post negativity, and replace them with content that educates and uplifts you. Choose a specific time each day to check the news rather than consuming it passively throughout the day.

2. Strengthen Your Inner Circle Through Interactions That Uplift

The people you surround yourself with have a significant impact on your mental resilience. Studies show that strong social connections reduce stress, improve mood, and even enhance physical health. Positive relationships act as emotional anchors, helping you regain perspective when life feels turbulent.

Engage with those who inspire, encourage, and challenge you to grow. Choose quality over quantity—deep, meaningful relationships are far more nourishing than a large network of surface-level acquaintances. Make time for face-to-face interactions, heartfelt conversations, and mutual support. The more you strengthen your inner circle, the more fortified you become against external chaos.

Why is this important? The people you surround yourself with have a significant impact on your mental resilience. Positive relationships act as emotional anchors, helping you regain perspective and boosting your overall well-being.

Action Step: Identify the people in your life who uplift and support you. Make it a priority to spend more time with them—whether through regular check-ins, shared activities, or intentional conversations.

3. Control What You Can, Release What You Cannot

One of the biggest sources of stress is trying to manage things beyond our control. Resilience is built when we learn to shift our focus to what is within our sphere of influence. Attempting to control external factors—other people’s opinions, global events, or unexpected life changes—only leads to frustration and emotional exhaustion.

Instead, redirect your energy toward what you can influence: your mindset, your daily habits, your reactions, and your choices. This shift empowers you to make meaningful progress in areas that truly matter while letting go of unnecessary burdens. Accepting that some things are out of your control frees you from the weight of unnecessary worry.

Why is this important? Trying to control everything leads to frustration and emotional exhaustion. Resilience grows when you focus on what is within your power while letting go of unnecessary burdens.

Action Step: Make a list of things that are within your control (e.g., your attitude, habits, and reactions). When faced with a challenge, consciously shift your focus toward what you can do rather than worrying about what you can’t.

4. Engage in Meaningful Distractions

When life feels chaotic, engaging in purposeful, joyful activities can act as a reset for your mind. Research shows that hobbies and enjoyable activities stimulate the brain’s reward system, increasing dopamine levels, which boost mood and resilience. Activities like painting, reading, gardening, or even playing music provide a break from stress and offer a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

The key is to engage mindfully. Mindful distractions aren’t about numbing or avoiding reality; they’re about creating space for joy and creativity, which in turn replenishes your emotional reserves. When you shift your energy toward meaningful activities, you cultivate resilience by reminding yourself that joy and chaos can coexist. So, channel your energy into activities that bring you joy!

Why is this important? Joyful activities stimulate the brain’s reward system, increasing dopamine levels and improving mood. They also serve as a mental reset, helping you build resilience by balancing stress with moments of fulfillment.

Action Step: Choose an activity that genuinely brings you joy—whether it’s painting, reading, gardening, or playing music—and dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to it. Make it a non-negotiable part of your routine.

5. Practice Mental Reframing

Life’s challenges are often disguised as lessons waiting to be uncovered. Instead of reacting emotionally to difficult situations, take a step back and ask, What is this moment trying to teach me? This simple question shifts your mindset from victimhood to empowerment.

Cognitive reframing, a psychological tool used in therapy, helps reshape how we perceive obstacles. By viewing hardships as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks, we build resilience and cultivate a problem-solving mindset. Over time, this practice strengthens emotional intelligence, reduces stress, and allows us to approach difficulties with clarity and wisdom. This one question can create a radical shift and influence a totally different outcome in the moment and in your life, anytime you are able to ask it.

Why is this important? Reframing challenges as opportunities for growth reduces stress and strengthens emotional intelligence. Instead of feeling stuck, you gain perspective and develop a problem-solving mindset.

Action Step: The next time you face a difficult situation, pause and ask yourself: What can I learn from this? Write down your insights and focus on how this challenge can contribute to your personal growth.

Final Thoughts: Learn to Surf the Waves

Resilience isn’t about avoiding the storm— what it is about is learning how to move through it with strength, grace, and adaptability. By curating your media intake, strengthening your inner circle, focusing on what you can control, engaging in joyful activities, and practicing mental reframing, you equip yourself with the tools to navigate life’s uncertainties confidently. Be willing not only to go through things but to "grow" through things!

Remember the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn:

“You can’t control the waves, but you can learn to surf.” 

Embrace resilience, ride the waves, and trust that you have the power to thrive—even in chaos.

Here’s to a healthier, happier you!

Thrive on,

Your Life & Health Coach – Martha A. Stewart