How Do You Smile When the World Is Falling Apart?
On fear, gratitude and choosing to keep going anyway.
I’ve been asking myself this question a lot lately.
Today, as I write this, the world is on tsunami watch after a massive 8.7 earthquake off the coast of Russia. Just three months ago, in March 2025, we lived through a huge earthquake here that cracked the walls in our home and shook me to my core. I still feel phantom tremors sometimes. My husband had to leave for work the day after, and I was left alone with our son, barely able to process what had just happened.
A recent plane crash in India killed every single passenger on board. I was supposed to travel for a big meeting right after that, and I canceled my trip. I just couldn’t get on a plane.
I moved to Bangkok at the end of September 2023. The day after I started my new job, there was a shooting at the mall attached to my office building. A sixteen-year-old opened fire in the food court where I’d been just the day before, claiming three people, including a mother of twins visiting from China.
The fear I felt after that was paralyzing. I couldn’t be in public places with my son without scanning the room for danger, always looking for exits. I still remember cutting short a shopping trip because I saw a man standing awkwardly outside Sephora and convinced myself he was going to kill someone.
When you become a mother, the fear hits differently. There’s so much more to lose.
But life doesn’t stop. Work still expects you to show up for meetings. Your child still needs you to smile. You’re still expected to function even when all you want to do is cry and hide.
Sometimes I wonder if I should be doing more — being louder about world issues, being an activist, doing something big to make a difference. But the truth is, I’ve made peace with the idea that the change I can bring is closer to home. For me, it’s about working on myself, spreading joy and meaning where I can, and being helpful to the people around me.
One of the reasons I write is because I can’t control world events, but I can make someone pause and feel seen in the words of a tired, overwhelmed mother trying to make sense of it all. I can ask the big questions that transform me from the inside out and maybe… just maybe, someone else too.
But there are some other things I return to when everything feels like it’s falling apart and nothing has any meaning.
I talk about it… to anyone who will listen. Saying it out loud always lightens the load a little.
If I can’t find anyone to talk to, I write it down. Pouring my thoughts onto a page feels like unclenching a fist I didn’t know I was holding.
I tune out when I need to. We know too much about the world and each other. I limit what I read and scroll, because I’ve realized we aren’t built to carry the weight of the whole world every day. It’s hard to limit social media, but places like Substack help. Getting into documentaries or watching movies instead of doom-scrolling also really helps.
I lean into spirituality. Knowing that life doesn’t end here brings me peace. There was a phase I watched an embarrassing amount of near-death experience videos, and they brought me peace to know that we misunderstand death and loss.
And I practice gratitude. It’s cliché, but it works. My son’s laugh, my husband making coffee in the morning, the small rituals that make our home feel safe — these are the anchors that keep me steady.
Even in the chaos, there are reasons to stay, to smile, to dance, to keep choosing life. I try to hold on to those.
How do you cope when the world feels heavy? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Arushi, A number of things help me smile and align with positivity in spite of the turmoil in the world:
1. Keep a daily routine of writing in my gratitude journal, affirmations, meditation/prayer and breakfast/meds.
2. Follow a to-do list so that I don’t forget the important tasks/deadlines
3. Remind myself that while I can’t control what others do, I can decide how to process it and choose what I’ll do
4. Give myself permission to cry, acknowledge sadness and anxiety, but refuse to dwell there.
5. Write.
6. Eat healthy foods which means I cook more rather than eat fast foods.
7. Stay in touch with friends and loved ones via phone, text, email and snail mail to inspire and cheer them up
8. Make time for moderate exercise and social/fun activities
9. Rest /sleep ( working on being consistent with this one)
10. Imagine goals and experiences I want to have.
I basically do what you do. Sometimes I put my toes in the dirt and flowers in my hair and try and breathe in rhythm with the earth. I know it’s a little hippiesh but it feels nice.