Why I’m Protecting My Peace in a Chaotic World

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In 2016, when Trump was elected, I did what a lot of people did.

I doomscrolled. I argued. I consumed every headline, hot take, think piece, and opinion thread I could get my hands on.

I told myself I was staying informed. That it mattered to bear witness. That disengaging meant I didn’t care enough.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how deeply it was getting under my skin.

I was angry. A lot.

Short-tempered in ways that didn’t feel like me.

Constantly disappointed, by people, by systems, by conversations that felt like they were happening on entirely different planets.

My nervous system lived in a low-grade state of outrage. Not explosive, just… simmering. Always on. Always tight. Always braced for the next thing that would make me shake my head and think, Are you kidding me right now?

I was informed. I was also exhausted.

Why I’m Choosing a Different Approach This Time

Back then, I didn’t have great language for what was happening. I just knew that I felt more brittle than grounded, more reactive than thoughtful. And yet, I kept scrolling. Because stopping felt irresponsible. Because caring felt synonymous with consuming everything.

This time around, I’m doing it differently.

Not because the world is less chaotic. We all know it’s more.
Not because the stakes feel lower. They’re higher than ever.
But because I’ve learned what constant exposure does to me.

This time, I’m protecting my peace by not doomscrolling the news. I still pay attention. I still know what’s going on. I’m just not mainlining it into my nervous system from the moment I wake up until the moment I fall asleep.

And the difference has been… noticeable.

I’m less angry.

Less sharp with people I care about.

Less disappointed in a way that seeps into everything else.

I have more patience. More clarity. More room to breathe before I respond instead of react. I don’t feel that constant hum of what now? vibrating under my skin.

Staying Regulated Is More Powerful Than Staying Outraged

What I’ve realized is this: being endlessly plugged in didn’t make me more effective or more compassionate. It made me more irritable. More cynical. More likely to snap at the wrong person about the wrong thing because my system was already overloaded.

In 2016, I thought staying activated was a moral obligation. Now I understand that staying regulated is a responsibility.

Protecting my peace doesn’t mean I don’t care. It means I care enough to choose how I engage. It means I’ve stopped confusing outrage with impact and constant consumption with consciousness.

I’m no longer available for starting my day with dread.

I’m no longer available for carrying the emotional weight of every breaking headline.

I’m no longer available for letting algorithms dictate my mood.

And yes, sometimes that choice is uncomfortable. Sometimes it means stepping away from conversations that thrive on heat instead of insight. Sometimes it means resisting the pull to check just one more time.

Why Choosing Peace Has Made Me a Better Human

But what I get in return is worth it.

I get myself back.

I get steadiness instead of simmering rage.

I get to be present in my actual life instead of perpetually braced for the next wave of disappointment.

This isn’t about opting out of the world. It’s about staying in it without letting it harden me.

I learned the hard way in 2016 what happens when I let chaos run unchecked through my nervous system. This time, I’m choosing differently. Not perfectly. Not rigidly. Just intentionally.

Because peace isn’t denial.

It’s discernment.

And protecting it has made me calmer, clearer, and far more capable of showing up the way I want to.

A Permission Slip to Protect Your Peace Right Now

If you’re finding yourself angrier than usual, shorter than you’d like to be, or quietly disappointed all the time, this might be your permission slip too.

You don’t have to absorb everything to care deeply.

You don’t have to stay activated to stay engaged.

And you’re allowed to protect your peace, especially now.

I wish you space and clarity,

P.S. If you’re having trouble clearing out the mental noise of the world, give my Clutter Clearing Meditation a try and see how it makes you feel. You can find it here: https://kerririchardson.com/clutter-clearing-meditation/