I sat down to write this week’s blog and thought, “This feels insane.”
Why am I talking about organizing when the world feels like it’s on fire?
There’s war, violence, unrest…and it’s in our faces, all the time. It feels strange to talk about closets and clarity when so much feels unstable right now.
What I keep noticing with my clients, as well as myself, is that we’re not just tired and overwhelmed. We’re flooded.
This world has always had chaos. There has always been suffering.
The difference now is access. We don’t just hear about things later. We see them instantly. Repeatedly. And in great detail.
We weren’t designed to process global trauma on a loop.
When we’re exposed to this much intensity nonstop, our nervous system doesn’t just “feel stressed,” it shifts into survival mode.
That alarm center of the brain lights up. Stress hormones increase. And the part of your brain that is responsible for logic, language, and long-term thinking goes offline.
That’s why you might feel scattered or frozen, and not be able to explain why. Why it’s hard to think clearly. Why decisions feel heavier than they “should.” And why so many of us are compulsively scrolling, even when we know it’s not helping.
It’s not weakness or laziness, it’s survival.
When the body senses danger (even digital danger), it prioritizes survival over strategy. And from that state, you can’t “logic” your way back to feeling calm or grounded.
And at the same time, life keeps moving. There are emails to answer. People to care for. Groceries to buy. Work to show up for.
The tension between staying informed and being functional is incredibly tight right now.
You care. Of course, you care. But caring and constantly consuming are not the same thing.
When I teach people how to organize, the first step isn’t buying boxes or throwing things away. It’s setting an intention for your space.
Because if you don’t decide what you’re creating, the clutter will decide for you.
You’ll move things around, react to piles, and feel busy…but you won’t feel clear. And your organizing systems may even feel a bit chaotic.
And right now, the world’s chaos is having the same impact. If we don’t pause and choose how we want to show up, the noise chooses for us.
So, instead of trying to think your way out of overwhelm, come back into connection with your body.
In the trauma-informed world, we call this “bottom-up processing.” It just means body first.
When the mind feels noisy, the body is the doorway back to steadiness.
Before you reach for your phone, turn on the news, or “make a plan”…
Pause. Because when we’re dysregulated, chaos directs us. And if we let the chaos lead, we get more chaos.
I’m not suggesting you ignore what’s happening. I’m asking you to regulate yourself before you engage.
That might look like:
Going for a slow walk and notice colors, light, and sounds
👉Taking three deep breaths
👉Sleeping with your phone outside of your bedroom
👉Shaking out your body
👉Standing barefoot on the grass
👉Eating something sour to snap yourself back into the present
👉Taking a “screen-free” hour
Regulating yourself isn’t avoidance. It’s how you stay capable.
You cannot make grounded decisions about a chaotic world from a nervous system that feels under attack or is stuck in survival mode.
Take one small, intentional step at a time. Fill up, and then engage with the world. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
Regulating yourself is the best first step in making a positive impact in your life and this world.
