{"id":25012,"date":"2026-04-13T14:52:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sparkvisionnow.com\/?p=25012"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:52:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:52:07","slug":"i-was-freaking-out-how-to-stay-calm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunneez.com\/sparkvision\/i-was-freaking-out-how-to-stay-calm\/","title":{"rendered":"I was Freaking Out…how to stay calm"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Stay Calm in Chaos: Turn Fear Into Peace When Life Feels Out of Control<\/h1>\n

These days, it seems like all of us have every reason to justify being totally freaked out.<\/p>\n

The other day, I went there.<\/p>\n

I was driving through the desert on my way to the airport. It was about a 90-minute drive. Since gas prices had just gone up, I decided I\u2019d wait and fill up closer to the airport, where I knew I could get a better rate.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t trying to cut it too close; I was trying to maximize my savings. I planned to grab a couple of gallons before I arrived and keep it moving.<\/p>\n

Simple enough.<\/p>\n

Except it didn\u2019t go that way.<\/p>\n

I took a route I\u2019d never driven before. And I noticed the gas tank getting closer and closer to empty, so I pulled up the GPS and searched for the nearest gas station. Relief washed over me when I saw one just a few miles ahead.<\/p>\n

I thought, perfect. Problem solved. \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n

Then I passed it.<\/p>\n

Closed.<\/p>\n

Not \u201ctemporarily closed\u201d, closed. More like a “hadn\u2019t been open in years” closed.<\/p>\n

And the next gas station? Forty minutes away.<\/strong> \ud83d\ude28<\/p>\n

The gas light had turned on. And so did all my fears.<\/p>\n

Now let me tell you something about me: I do not play games with running out of gas. I had never run out before. I had never even come close enough for it to feel like a real possibility. And suddenly there I was, in the middle of the desert, with no buildings, no homes, no other cars around me, and no cell service.<\/p>\n

My mind went straight into survival mode.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcabWhat if I break down out here in the middle of nowhere desert?<\/em><\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcabWhat if I\u2019m stranded for hours\u2026.or overnight?<\/em><\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcabWhat if something happens and I can\u2019t get help?<\/em><\/p>\n

I started spiraling through every worst-case scenario imaginable. I judged myself. I got mad at myself. I slipped into victim mode. I let fear grab the wheel.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

\n

And then, somewhere in the middle of all that mental chaos, I realized something…<\/p>\n

I had two choices:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    \ud83d\ude30I could prepare for the worst in a way that kept feeding fear.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    \ud83d\ude4fI could assume the best and choose to believe that I was guided, protected, and going to make it through.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    That didn\u2019t mean ignoring reality.<\/p>\n

    It meant choosing the story of how I would meet reality.<\/p>\n

    I set some immediate boundaries with myself:<\/p>\n