Living abroad is already an exercise in courage.

You’ve stepped outside the familiar, away from the comforts of family and your home.
You’ve rebuilt routines and found community.
You’ve created “home” in a place that once felt foreign.

And then something happens in the wider world – conflict, unrest, crisis that causes major uncertainty for the country you are living in.

And suddenly that fragile sense of stability feels shaken.

When you’re far from your original support system, global events can often feel more intense. More personal. More destabilising.

The uncertainty is amplified when you’re reminded that you’re not a citizen — that you have less control than you would back home. You may not fully understand every system, be able to influence local decisions, or feel completely anchored in how things work.

And if you and your family’s visas are solely tied to a specific employer, your sense of security can feel dependent on factors far beyond your control.

That lack of certainty is what is heightening fear — not because you’re incapable of handling stress or making important decisions, but because your nervous system is scanning for stability in an environment that doesn’t always feel fully yours.

So the real question becomes:

How do you stay steady when the world feels anything but steady?

Here are a few of the ways I stay grounded in times of upheaval and crisis. These are practical ways you can protect your mindset and keep fear and anxiety from completely taking over your life.

Limit News Intake (Without Avoiding Reality)

Of course, you need to stay informed and keep update on the local and international news. Staying informed is responsible.

But, consistently consuming 24-hour breaking new updates is not great for your nervous system. Especially if the the news is the first thing you open your eyes to in the morning and the last thing you see before you closeing your eyes to sleep.

You see, your brain is already wired to scan for danger. Endlessly watching the news, scrolling feeds and spiralling into rabit holes keeps your body in a constant stress response.

Late-night news consumption is particularly destabilising as it triggers your cortisol right when you’re asking your brain to sleep.

Your mind then shifts to worst case scenario planning and all the negative “what if’s” about the situation.

And our old unwelcomed friend anxiety is going to keep you from getting any sleep or a portion of quality sleep at all!

If you want to stay informed without becoming overwhelmed, here’s what I recommend:

1. Choose one reliable source of news
2. Check it once per day – I usually suggest morning is best, but only AFTER you’ve eaten, had your coffee, feel calm and are fully awake (and even better if you’ve exercised)
3. Set a time limit for scrolling/watching the news or social media
4. No news after dinner

Remember, news cycles run 24/7 during times of crisis. You can step away and pick it up again tomorrow. You won’t miss everything by pausing for a few hours.

And if something truly urgent were to arise that directly affected you, it’s highly likely you would be notified through official channels, your consulate, or someone close to you.

You can even share with your partner, family, or close friends that you’re taking a short “news break” to protect your headspace — and ask them to reach out if anything urgent arises that would directly impact you.

Protecting your peace in this way will help nervous system regulation.

Focus on What You Can Control

In times of crisis, your mind wants certainty above all else.

Certainty that you’ll be safe, that everthing is going to be ok.

When it doesn’t have it, it can easily spiral… consuming overwhelming information (and misinformation!) and obsessing over everything outside of your control.

When life and decisions feel “beyond your control” my advice is always the same…

Focus on the things you CAN control.

1. Your daily routines – how you spend your time
2. What you eat
3. How you move your body
4. Who you speak to
5. What you watch and your social media consumption

Even something as simple as making your bed, cooking breakfast and going for a 20-minute walk sends a signal to your nervous system:

“I am safe enough to care for myself”

The predictability of a routine, even something as simple as a short morning ritual before checking the news – signals safety to your nervous system.

The main issue is, whenever we’re overwhelmed the first thing that slips is our daily routines, exercise, and healthy habits!

Don’t let them slip.

Especially if you have children. Maintaining a sense of normality helps them feel secure and grounded too. Children take their emotional cues from the adults around them.

Believe me, I’ve experienced this firsthand. During seasons when my anxiety was heightened and I felt stretched beyond capacity, those were the days my toddler would have the biggest tantrums. Children are incredibly attuned to the emotional climate around them. He was picking up the energy I was putting out and his emotions were amplified too.

Bring your focus back to this question: What is within my control today?

Not next week or month. Not next year.

Today.

And you might not realize this, but you can also 100% control whether or not you catastrophise this situation OR stay present and lean towrads resilience.

You maybe can’t always control your first thought and the shock of what you see on the news or in the world — but you can choose what you do with it.

Your mind is an incredible tool. It can escalate fear, or with practice it can steady you.

The more you practise bringing it back to what is real, what is factual, and what is in front of you right now, the calmer and clearer you will feel.

Create a “Grounding Mindfulness Routine”

If you feel like your head is spinning with all the information and decisions you’re processing then I suggest you practice mindfulness techniques to help calm your nervous system.

Choose 3 daily anchors:

1. Breathwork when anxiety rises (Inhale 4 < pause > Exhale 6 repeat x 5)
2. 10 minutes of quiet in the morning – no news, no information, just enjoy breakfast or a cuddle with your child, pet etc.
3. A walk in daylight – without listening to anything, just enjoy nature or treadmill
4. Journalling your thoughts before bed
5. Writing or speaking affirmations in the morning “All is well, everything always works out, I am safe and cared for”
6. Listen to a short 3-5 min guided meditation in the morning and/or evening

Here is a link to some of my meditations for calming anxiety.

You don’t need a full self-development overhaul right now, nothing too heavy or complex.

You just need some stability and calm. The brain relaxes when patterns are predictable.

Stop the Late-Night Spiral

Honestly, if you take one thing away from this entire blog, let it be this:

Fear grows in the dark.

You know the pattern. You see a headline — often factual, but written to grab attention. Your anxiety alarm starts ringing. Your body tightens. Your breathing shifts.

Then you read another article.
And then another.
And maybe watch a video.

Suddenly your mind is racing:

What if this happens?
What if that happens?

Before you know it, your nervous system is fully activated — and nothing has actually changed in your immediate environment.

This is why your phone needs boundaries.

Let your phone go to bed at least an hour before you do, so you’re not tempted to “just check what’s happening.”

If you can, charge it outside the bedroom. That way, if you wake at 3am with a surge of anxiety, you can’t immediately reach for it and fuel the spiral — making it nearly impossible to fall back asleep.

At the very least, switch it to airplane mode.

Even better, replace the scroll with something calming sensory:

• A book
• Calming music
• A warm shower
• Gentle stretching
• Herbal tea

If sleep has been a problem recently then your nervous system needs cues of safety before sleep… not stimulation.

Stay Connected (Even If You Don’t Feel Like It)

Isolation also amplifies fear.

Even if conversations aren’t about “the situation” in front of you, human connection helps to regulate you.

Message a friend.
Meet someone for coffee.
Sit in a shared space.

Maybe tell them you don’t want to talk about the problems that are happening, but you do want to hear about there life and what’s happening in their world.

It helps you to remember there is life outside the crisis.

You don’t need to analyse everything that’s happening.
You just need to feel less alone.

Community is a nervous system stabiliser.

And equally important – please be mindful of whose energy you’re surrounding yourself with.

If you’re already feeling unsettled, spending time with someone who is highly anxious or constantly catastrophising can amplify your own fear. That doesn’t make them wrong — it just means your nervous system may not have the capacity to absorb additional stress right now.

Protect your emotional bandwidth.

Choose conversations that feel steady, and people who are somewhat more calm, balanced, and grounded.

And if needed, gently limit exposure to anxiety-fuelled discussions until you feel more regulated within yourself.

Boundaries are essential to you feeling stability through the chaos.

Remember: You Are More Resilient Than You Think

You moved countries.
You’ve rebuilt friendships.
You’ve navigated cultural shifts.

That already proves your adaptability!

Crisis can trigger fear, but remember that with every shadow also comes the light – it can remind you of your strength too.

Think of a time when you’ve dealt with something really challenging before, you were able to work through that.

That is proof that, as Glennon Doyle says: “We can do hard things”.

-Janel Briggs, thinking of you and brighter days ahead.

If you’d like calm, grounded support in navigating uncertainty abroad, my private Expat Mentoring sessions are here for you.