Bracing for Impact

How to Reduce Your Cognitive, Physical, and Emotional Load During These Chaotic Times

A few nights ago, I did something I never do. I went to bed at 6:30 p.m. and slept for over nine hours. It wasn’t planned, nor was it the result of exhaustion in the usual sense. My body simply demanded rest. Instead of overriding the impulse with willpower, caffeine, or distractions, I let it unfold. I surrendered.

In these times—politically, economically, and socially—many of us are carrying an unsustainable load. We are overstimulated, overworked, and emotionally frayed by forces beyond our control. The endless churn of breaking news, economic instability, political disarray, and the unpredictability of daily life is eroding our resilience.

We aren’t just tired, we are depleted.

Chinese Medicine offers profound wisdom in understanding what’s happening to us. In this system, excessive worry weakens the Spleen, overthinking scatters the Heart, and fear depletes the Kidneys. We are running on fumes, burning through our reserves, and for many, the damage is showing up in the form of chronic stress, anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, and emotional numbness.

The I Ching, the ancient Book of Changes, speaks directly to these moments. Hexagram 23, Bo (Splitting Apart), warns of times when systems and structures are crumbling. It teaches that during such moments, the wise course of action is not to push harder or fight the tide, but to reduce, simplify, and conserve. It is a time for strategic withdrawal, not frantic action.

The Urgency of Reducing Your Load

If you have been feeling inexplicably tired, emotionally short-fused, or mentally fogged, take this as a signal—not of personal failure, but of the weight of the times pressing upon you. This is not business as usual. The world is in a period of great upheaval, and carrying on as if nothing has changed is an invitation to burnout.

Now is the time to deliberately reduce your cognitive, physical, and emotional load. This is not a luxury or an indulgence—it is a survival strategy.

How to Lighten Your Load Amid the Chaos

💥 Lower Cognitive Overload: Cut Back on Information Consumption

The human brain was never designed to process the relentless flood of information we are bombarded with daily. News cycles move at breakneck speed, social media is a battlefield, and the constant exposure to crises—whether real or manufactured—keeps us in a perpetual state of mental agitation.

• Set boundaries around news consumption: Choose one or two reliable sources, check them briefly, and move on.

• Declutter your digital space: Unsubscribe, unfollow, and filter out the noise.

• Embrace strategic ignorance: Not every debate, crisis, or event requires your attention or energy.

💥 Reduce Physical Strain: Listen to Your Body

The body is always speaking, but we rarely listen until it forces us to. My own experience of sleeping over nine hours was a wake-up call. Most of us are operating in a state of low-grade exhaustion without realizing how much we are depleting ourselves.

• Prioritize deep rest: It is not enough to get sleep; we need restorative sleep. Reduce late-night screen time, honor your body’s natural rhythms, and stop treating rest as an afterthought.

• Move, but don’t overstrain: Qigong, Tai Chi, or gentle walks can restore energy rather than drain it.

• Nourish wisely: Warm, simple, and grounding foods (such as cooked vegetables, bone broth, and lentils) support the digestion and replenish depleted reserves.

💥 Manage Emotional Load: Stop Carrying What Isn’t Yours

Emotional exhaustion is often the result of holding onto things we cannot change. Many of us are carrying the weight of collective anxiety, outrage, and despair. While empathy is vital, emotional over-identification with external turmoil is toxic.

• Detach from other people’s chaos: Not every crisis is yours to fix.

• Use the principle of Wu Wei (Effortless Action): Instead of forcing things, learn to move with life’s natural flow.

• Surround yourself with stabilizing influences: Seek out conversations and relationships that ground you rather than those that fuel your stress.

💥 Strengthen the Kidneys: The Storehouse of Resilience

In Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys store Jing, our life essence. Excessive stress, fear, and overwork drain this vital energy, leaving us feeling weak and exhausted.

• Protect your Kidney energy: Reduce late nights, cold foods, and excessive stimulants.

• Practice deep breathing: The Kidneys are linked to the breath—long, slow exhales calm the nervous system.

• Conserve your energy: Don’t waste time arguing, overworking, or overcommitting.

The Path Forward: A Time to Conserve, Not Expand

Hexagram 40, Jie (Liberation), speaks of the relief that comes after tension is released. But to get there, we must first unburden ourselves. The message is clear: now is not the time to overextend. It is time to pull back, simplify, and move with the current rather than against it.

We are living through history, but we are also living through ourselves. The way we navigate these times will determine not only how we survive but how we emerge on the other side. Overloading ourselves will not bring clarity or strength—only depletion.

So, if your body tells you to rest, rest. If your mind tells you it needs stillness, turn off the noise. If your spirit feels heavy, let go of what no longer serves you.

Because in the grand scheme of things, the world will keep spinning—but you must decide how much of it you are willing to carry.

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