When Fear Is Everywhere, We Practice Love

Fear doesn’t always arrive as one big moment. Sometimes it seeps in.

It comes through headlines. Through conversations. Through the daily scroll. Lately it feels like fear is coming from every direction—especially with war in the news, economic uncertainty, and the rising cost of living.

Even when nothing is “wrong” inside your home, your body can still feel unsafe.

Your nervous system notices.

Your sleep notices.

Your patience notices.

And your root chakra—the part of you that wants stability, safety, and support—flares with one simple question: Are we okay?

So what do we do with fear when it’s everywhere?

Because it’s not as simple as “take three deep breaths.”

Why “Just Breathe” Isn’t Enough

When my toddler has a temper tantrum, I tell her, “When we’re frustrated, we breathe.”

And I demonstrate it dramatically—big inhale, long exhale—so she can actually copy it.

Now she breathes like that too. Sometimes exactly the same. Sometimes in her own version.

It’s sweet. And it works… for toddler frustration.

But adult fear is different.

Toddler frustration is: I wanted the blue cup.

Adult fear is: What if the world isn’t safe and I’m responsible for everyone and everything?

So yes, breathing helps. But when your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, breathing can feel like trying to calm a fire with a tiny cup of water.

Fear and the Nervous System: Why Your Body Feels Unsafe

Fear and the nervous system are deeply connected. When your body senses threat — real or perceived — it shifts into protection mode. Muscles tighten. Breathing becomes shallow. The heart races or feels heavy. Digestion slows. Your body isn’t malfunctioning — it’s trying to keep you alive.

Sometimes that protection looks like a clenched jaw, a tight chest, a buzzing under the skin, or a mind that won’t quiet down.

If you feel anxious, tense, or on edge right now, it doesn’t mean you’re failing at life.

It might mean you’re:

• overexposed to fear-based content

• under-supported in your body

• exhausted from working, parenting, caregiving, and surviving

Fear doesn’t just live in thoughts. It lives in the nervous system.

And your nervous system is always asking one main question:

Am I safe?

The Opposite of Fear Is Love

Not bravery.

Not toughness.

Not “think positive.”

The opposite of fear is love.

Fear contracts. Love expands.

Fear isolates. Love reconnects.

Fear says: I’m on my own.

Love says: You’re held. Even here.

And this matters because love, in the body, looks like safety.

Love is not just an emotion—it’s a state of being regulated.

It’s the feeling of: I can exhale. I’m not alone. I’m safe enough in this moment.

How to Ground Your Nervous System When Fear Is Everywhere

1) Reduce fear intake (without pretending the world isn’t real)

If you consume fear all day, your body assumes danger is all day.

Try:

• checking the news in one or two short windows a day

• avoiding fear content before bed

• unfollowing accounts that spike your anxiety without offering anything useful

This isn’t avoidance. It’s protecting your nervous system.

2) Move fear through the body (fear needs an exit)

Try this 60-second reset:

• put both feet on the floor and press down

• exhale audibly (give your body proof you’re releasing)

• gently shake your hands or body, like animals do when they release fear and return to calm

If it feels a little silly, that’s okay — your nervous system understands it even if your mind doesn’t.

• roll your shoulders back slowly

• say: I am here. In this room. Today I am safe enough.

3) Build “micro-safety” instead of chasing perfect safety

You may not be able to control the world. But you can create small moments that tell your body: right now, we’re okay.

Micro-safety can be:

• a warm drink in both hands

• a candle lit

• one calming song

• a 3-minute walk outside

• a real text to a friend: I’m not okay today

Small doesn’t mean meaningless. Small is how nervous systems heal.

4) Make self-care realistic (especially if you’re exhausted)

If you’re already overworked, you don’t need a longer to-do list called self-care.

Try:

• 30 seconds of longer exhales than inhales

• one stretch while something heats up

• one boundary with your phone

• one sentence of compassion: Of course I feel this way. This is a lot.

5) What Fear Is Really Asking For

When fear rises, many of us instinctively reach for something to help it ease. We breathe. We meditate. We take supplements like ashwagandha or rhodiola. We lean on routines, rituals, practices — anything that offers relief. And these supports can truly help, sometimes in meaningful ways. But fear doesn’t dissolve because we override it or manage it harder. It softens when it’s met. It softens with less fear coming in, more support for the body, more rest, more connection, and more love — the regulating kind. Supplements and practices can open space in the nervous system, but safety is what allows that space to hold. Fear isn’t asking us to fix it — it’s asking to feel safe enough to settle.

If You’re Too Tired to Do Any of This

Then this is the practice:

Choose one thing. Make it smaller. Make it doable.

On exhausted days, love might be:

• a hand on your chest for 10 seconds

• sitting down while you do one task

• lowering one expectation

• saying: This is enough for today.

You don’t need to be fearless.

You need to be supported.

A Closing Practice

Hand on your chest or belly.

Inhale once.

Exhale slowly, like you’re fogging a mirror.

And say:

I’m allowed to be scared.

I’m allowed to be tired.

I can choose love instead of pressure—one moment at a time.

Not because everything is okay.

But because you are here.

And fear softens when it’s held with love.

If this helped, save it for the next time your body forgets it’s safe. 🐧