7 Actionable Tips To Stay Sane In The Midst Of Chaos

Living a nomadic lifestyle for the past 9 years taught us to navigate uncertainty. Traveling and working on the road with no permanent base brings its own set of challenges.

Amidst the constant change, we’ve discovered strategies to keep sane. Our practiced routines help ground us during hectic times. 

This article shares invaluable lessons from our independent lifestyle, offering practical tips for readers facing life’s twists. 

While we are not always successful at following our own advice, committing to a few daily tips makes things easier.

We don’t aim for perfection, but rather, it’s about preserving sanity. 

Embrace these 7 tips to navigate change and chaos, finding balance and resilience in your own unique journey.

1. Eating Healthy At Consistent Times

The more we get our bodies into a regular eating routine, the easier it is to cope with uncertainty. 

Fortunately, eating is one thing that is fully within our control. No matter where we are in the world, we maintain a regular eating schedule. 

We remain very traditional, eating 3 main meals per day interspersed with healthy snacks and water (fruits, almonds, etc.)

In addition to eating at precise times, we also pay attention to what we are putting into our bodies. We prioritize healthy food options, nuts and fruits, instead of sugar or carbohydrates.

We shop at the local markets and cook from scratch. The entire experience of planning the menu, shopping and then cooking is important in helping establish a routine.

In moments of stress and anxiety, don’t forget to eat. Even though you may not feel hungry, the act of feeding your body right will help calm the nerves.

RELATED: Check our easy travel inspired recipes we’ve learned to make on the road

2. Limiting News and Social Media Intake

While keeping informed with the news is important, we make a concerted effort to limit our intake. The media and news are made to keep us coming back to it. The “sensationalist news” stimulates our adrenaline to keep us watching.

Fortunately, we don’t own a television, so we are able to manage our news consumption.

The challenge, however, is with social media. Have you ever been on Instagram to check one message and then find you’ve lost half an hour or more?

Social media employs techniques to keep us hooked. Algorithms are built in to feed you more of what you like or want. Retargeting techniques constantly bombard you with new intriguing information.

As digital nomads who work online, we often find ourselves falling into the social media trap. While on Instagram sharing articles or answering Authentic Food Quest messages, we easily get distracted and lose time.

Over the years, we’ve used various techniques to limit our social media intake. We’ve tried turning off notifications or giving ourselves “fixed” social media time. 

These techniques have worked with varying degrees of success. Admittedly, this is an area for continued improvement.

On the whole, when we limit our news intake and reduce social media time, we feel centered and less stressed.

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3. Exercising Regularly 

It is well known that exercising releases endorphins, the feel good hormones which in turn decrease stress levels.

Exercise also provides an energy boost to your lungs and heart. Any kind of exercise is beneficial. From walking, jogging, practising yoga or strength training, the possibilities are endless, even from home.

We particularly enjoy running. The beauty of being runners is that we don’t need much beyond our running shoes and a running outfit. 

No equipment necessary, just the desire to get out and “run the stress away.” This has been our saving grace along this journey and in our lives in general.  

The ability to get out, get some fresh air and be in nature has been and continues to provide respite from the stress. 

Overall, participating in some form of exercise is good for the mind, body and soul. 

When staying in, we follow exercise programs on YouTube. Claire particularly enjoys yoga challenges at Yoga With Adriene. 

We also use the Body Project for HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)  routines. And, Fitness Blender for core exercises and strength training.

If you don’t already, try any of these channels. Enjoy the benefits when you exercise at least 3 times per week for a minimum of 30 mins.

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4. Meditating Consistently

The ability to quiet our minds and go within, is incredibly powerful but difficult to achieve on an on going basis. 

With years of practice, we have become more consistent. We typically meditate at least once a day, every morning, for 20 – 30 minutes. If we can meditate at night as well, even better.

Over the years, we’ve used several resources to help us instill this daily practice.  Here are a few we recommend. 

Tara Brach, founder of the Insight Meditation Community, blends Western Psychology, Eastern spiritual practices and mindfulness. 

Her YouTube Channel offers free easy to follow meditations. We particularly enjoy the “Opening and Calming” meditation.

The meditation challenges that Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra offer are also fun to follow. They provide you with a consistent daily practice. They are structured for a 21-day period allowing you to start and form a new habit.

Another recommended resource is the Sam Harris waking up app. The first 5 meditations are free, giving you a few days to try it for yourself.

Even though daily meditation is not easy, the benefits of feeling less frazzled and being more centered are worth it.

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5. Journaling – Practicing Gratitude And Letting Go

One of the techniques we have successfully implemented over the years is “gratitude journaling.” 

What’s unique about this approach is focusing on “what’s going right” rather than “what’s wrong” or “what needs to get done”.  

As the famous life coach Tony Robbins puts it: “To change your life, change your expectation to appreciation.”

We find this approach helpful for sharp focus on the positives. This helps cultivate a sense of gratitude and a reminder to step back and see the good in everything.

When we are preoccupied, anxious or need to make a decision, putting it down on paper is incredibly helpful.

Rather than remaining crippled in anxiety, writing it down allows us to get organized by creating a plan of action to move forward.

By doing so, we formulate the question, “what can I do to …” This subtle shift helps the mind find the right solution.

It is a way of letting go of anxiety and clearing the mind. We encourage you to give journaling a try. 

Start with 5 mins in the morning after waking up and 5 minutes at night before going to bed.

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6. Getting a Minimum of 7 to 8 Hours of Sleep Each Night

You know this already, but do you practice it?

Getting enough sleep is important to recharge your energy level and give a boost to your immune system.

Though, It can be a challenging task and very difficult to adhere to. Our society encourages “buzy-ness” rather than sleeping, as Arianna Huffington, points out in her book The Sleep Revolution.

While sleep requirements vary from person to person. The National Institute of Health recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night for healthy adults to be at their best. 

In our case, our wake up time tends to be consistent. The most challenging is getting to bed early enough so that we can get the minimum hours of sleep.

Just as you would set an alarm clock to wake up, we set up a timer to go to bed. It is early enough to get ready for bed, with time to relax and read before falling asleep. 

If we don’t sleep enough, we tend to feel sloppy the next day. It is harder to focus, we are moody, and more distracted.

On the other hand, every time we have a good night of rest, we find ourselves coping much easier.

On nights when sleep is hard to come, we use sleep mantras to focus our breathing, relax and sleep peacefully.

READ MORE: Food Travel Near And Far: 10 Tips To Become A Great Food Traveler

7. Using The Power of Breathe in the Midst of Panic

In moments of overwhelm, it’s easy to lose focus and let panic take over. 

When navigating our way through new destinations or when dealing with business uncertainties, we have to remain calm to gain perspective.

One tool we always go back to is to focus on our breathing.

Adopting long and slow deep breaths, even for only 30 seconds, helps provide perspective in the midst of chaos. The key is to shift one’s attention to the breath, nothing else. 

This technique is detailed by Tara Brach in her book “Radical Acceptance”, our go to resource.

Combined with meditation, this practice reminds us of the temporary nature and ebb and flow of life. Any state is transient. The good and bad times come and go. 

Another interesting read about acquiring skills and mental strength for challenging times is the book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink.

Following leadership principles, the author teaches how to become dependable and resilient, a useful skill set during times of crisis.

Our Favorite Staying Sane Quote

And ultimately, if you find yourself distressed, remember this Persian adage: 

“This too shall pass.”

In Summary

Life is not always perfect. Like a road, it has uphills, downhills and many bends. Since we can’t control life, we can control how we feel and react to it.

In the midst of chaos, we can be at peace or wrapped up in anxiety. Moments of change present us with opportunities to grow. 

These coping skills guide us and continue to help us tremendously. Used collectively, they offer incredible benefits.  

From your perspective, share with us, how do you keep sane and cope with chaos or change? Let us know your tips in the comments below.

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