We have grown Accustomed to dysfunction

Somewhere along the line, we started calling chaos “normal.” We adjusted. We adapted. And now, collectively, we live in a constant state of stress, fight, flight, or freeze without even realizing it.

It’s the kind of adjustment that isn’t a reflection of health. It’s survival. And while the human spirit is adaptable, we have to ask ourselves, at what cost?

We scroll past wars, wildfires, political meltdowns, and human suffering as if it’s just another day’s news. We’ve normalized greed and exploitation. We’ve learned to tune out injustice so we can keep functioning. This is not wellness. This is not strength. This is resignation disguised as resilience.

From a yogic perspective and a human one, life is not lived in isolation. We do not exist in a vacuum. Everything we think, say, and do ripples outward. We are only as strong as our weakest link. And right now, as a society, we are weak.

So, how do we start shifting? How do we lower our baseline stress response when the world feels like it’s on fire?

We begin small. We begin within.

Breathe. Consciously. Deeply. Daily. This is the most direct way to tell your body you are safe.

Pause before reacting. Choose responses that heal, not harm.

Reclaim connection. Look up from the screen and into the eyes of another human being.

Act beyond yourself. Volunteer. Speak up. Support the vulnerable. Remember that self-care is not self-absorption, it’s so you can care for more than just you.

Yoga teaches us presence. Presence teaches us to see. And once you see, you can’t unsee. You begin to understand that your well-being is braided into the well-being of the whole.

We do not have to tolerate a broken world as if it’s the natural state of things. We can choose differently. We can breathe life back into compassion, connection, and courage.

The question is, will we? Will you ?

Audrey O'Marra