An Unstable World: A Mirror Into You

Change is unsettling, whether it’s happening in your personal life or playing out on a national scale. Big shifts bring out a mix of emotions—excitement, fear, resistance, uncertainty. But have you ever asked yourself if your reaction to what’s happening around you is actually a reflection of what’s happening inside of you?

The truth is, we often project our own struggles onto external events. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the change around you, it might not just be about the world. It may be about what’s shifting internally for you as well. When things feel unpredictable, our instinct is to search for something solid. We want clarity. We want control. And when we don’t have it, we react—sometimes with frustration, often with fear, and sometimes by shutting down entirely. But what if the reaction isn’t just about politics, leadership, or society? What if the turmoil we feel about what’s happening out there is really a reflection of our own internal struggle?

If your future feels unclear, instability will feel more overwhelming. If you’re struggling with your personal identity, cultural shifts may feel more like a personal attack. If you fear change in your own life, every external shift may seem like a threat rather than an opportunity. In other words, your reaction to the world may be less about the world itself and more about what’s happening inside of you.

 Big changes often come with resistance, and sometimes, the resistance isn’t just external. Every choice we make carries consequences—some immediate, some unfolding over time. When systems, laws, or societal norms shift, it can feel like things are being rolled back or undone. But sometimes, what looks like chaos is just the dust settling before we can see what comes next. The question isn’t just whether change is good or bad. The question is: How will I choose to respond to it?

 Whenever the world feels unstable, we tend to grab onto labels, groups, and identities as a way to feel grounded. This is who I am. This is what side I’m on. This is how things are supposed to be. But what happens when those labels start to limit us? What happens when the world shifts, and our identity is tangled up in that change?

 Ask yourself: Am I reacting to the instability in the world, or am I resisting a shift within myself? Am I holding on to an old version of myself because it feels safer than stepping into the unknown? If I stripped away the labels and external influences, who would I be?

 I’ve been exploring the idea that the things I once used as labels weren’t actually definitions. They were things I did, not who I was. That’s a critical distinction. Are you defined by what you do, or is everything just the surface of something deeper? The real question becomes: What lies underneath?

 Change is coming. Whether we like it or not, it’s happening. And while you can’t always control what’s happening around you, you can choose how you respond to it. You can react in fear, or you can respond with acceptance. And acceptance doesn’t mean agreement. You can see change as a loss, or you can see it as an opening for something new. You can resist change because it feels uncomfortable, or you can lean into it, knowing that every reinvention starts with a moment of uncertainty.

 People are afraid of what’s happening in the world. Fear is a powerful driver—it can make us cling to old identities, old versions of ourselves, and old narratives about how things are supposed to be. But instead of just fixating on what’s changing out there, ask yourself: What does all of this reveal about me? And once you have that answer, you can decide what to do with it.