The simplest thing I've gone back to is bare feet on dirt. It sounds painfully obvious, but I wasn't doing it. There's a reason earthing shows up everywhere from old European folk magic to Qi Gong practices. Actually feeling the temperature of the soil and the uneven texture of grass just yanks me out of my racing thoughts and puts me back in my body immediately.

I've also been leaning hard into the Buddhist concept of anchor senses. When I'm inside and can't get outside, I use cold water. I run my hands under the tap until it's almost uncomfortable, or I splash it on my face. In Hoodoo and other African diaspora traditions, using water to wash away stagnant or heavy energy is fundamental. For me, the physical shock of the cold acts as a hard reset for my nervous system. It doesn't magically fix the outside chaos, but it gives me a clean slate to work from.

Breathwork is another big one. I'm not talking about complicated pranayama sequences, though I know those work for some of you. I just do box breathing—four counts in, hold four, out four, hold four. I stole this from some military guys I used to know, but the rhythm hits the exact same sweet spot as a lot of Sufi dhikr practices where repetition physically slows your heart rate.

We can't control the madness happening around us, but we can control our baseline. What about you all? What are your go-to practices when it feels like everything is falling apart? I'd love to hear what's keeping you anchored right now.