At the beginning of this year, I’ve noticed something that keeps coming up again and again with the parents I work with — and it resonates deeply with me too.
A kind of constant tension. Hard to define, but very real. A low-level state of alertness, as if the body never quite gets permission to relax. The mind struggles to slow down. There’s a feeling of being on guard, without any immediate or visible threat.
In conversations, certain themes return frequently: the news cycle, the broader social and economic climate, rising costs, ongoing uncertainty, and a growing mistrust in systems and leadership. Many parents speak about financial pressure, inflation felt most clearly at the grocery checkout, and the exhausting sense of “working just to keep up.”
Others share deeper worries:
- “A world where we no longer feel safe letting our children play outside.”
- “An increase in violence and aggression.”
- “A society that feels tense, reactive, and increasingly divided.”
Safety, health, finances, and everyday incivility come up again and again. Some parents tell me, “People seem to have no filter anymore. Everyone reacts instantly, aggressively, if you don’t agree with them.”
Beyond these concerns, many describe a shift in how people communicate — conversations that feel more like televised debates, where no one truly listens.
All of this creates a heavy background noise.
When the Outside World Never Switches Off
It’s clear that the external context plays a huge role in this collective low mood. Constantly alarming news, global uncertainty, and the pressure to “start the year right”, to make the right decisions, to be productive and move in the right direction — all of this creates a permanent mental hum that slowly invades our inner space.
Younger generations, and our children in particular, are often more sensitive to this climate than we were at the same age. (I was born in 1975, in a very different media landscape.)
What I also notice is how difficult it has become to truly switch off. Even during moments of rest, the mind keeps anticipating, worrying, replaying. The body absorbs it all — tightening, tiring, holding on. Parents notice this in themselves, and often tell me about it.
So the question arises:
How do we protect ourselves in a world that feels like it’s moving too fast?
How do we create moments of calm when everything outside feels unstable?
Lowering the Nervous System, Gently
This is where practices like sophrology or relaxation techniques can be incredibly helpful. A single session can help bring the nervous system down a notch. And that matters.
We don’t need to be tyrants with ourselves.
Over time, I’ve identified a few simple adjustments that genuinely help me — and many parents I support.
Stepping Back from the News (Without Guilt)
First, I chose to create distance from constant news consumption. Not out of indifference, but out of self-protection.
Being continuously informed doesn’t actually give us more control. More often, it feeds anxiety and helplessness. I now choose when and how I engage with the news, and I accept that many things are beyond my control. Our smartphones already deliver more alarming information than we can process — there’s no real need to add hours of television on top.
When I do watch TV, I opt for documentaries (travel, nature, discovery), light-hearted series, or content with low emotional impact. These moments aren’t meant to be intellectually demanding. They simply offer rest — and that’s enough.
Reclaiming a Sense of Agency
Next, I turn toward what genuinely nourishes me. Working on a personal project — even a modest one — helps redirect energy toward something I can influence.
Creating, learning, imagining, progressing at my own pace restores meaning and motivation. It creates a positive sense of movement, far removed from the surrounding anxiety.
As a self-employed professional, I have some flexibility in managing my time. I may reduce my workload for a few days to focus on editing a book or preparing an exhibition. That said, there is very little fully “off” time — and that’s okay. Some activities are restorative in themselves: music, painting, writing, sculpting. They calm the mind and help release tension.
Recently, I enrolled in an online herbalism course purely for personal interest. It’s in English, which also allows me to practice the language. I do about ten minutes a day — sometimes none at all on busier days. There’s no goal, no pressure. Just learning something new (what I like to call LNT – Learn New Things) and enjoying a pleasant moment from time to time. Sometimes, that alone is deeply relaxing.
Letting Go of the Need to “Optimize” Everything
Many parents struggle to take these moments for themselves.
“There’s always something to do in the house.”
“I’m constantly interrupted.”
“It doesn’t really move my goals forward.”
But it’s worth remembering this: life, while constantly evolving, is not meant to be an endurance test. Some days bring nothing new, nothing exceptional — and that is perfectly fine. There is no beauty or intensity without a foundation of normality.
Coming Back to the Present
This is where sophrology holds a special place for me. It brings me back to the essentials: breathing, bodily sensations, the present moment. It creates a conscious pause, space between myself and what overwhelms me. It restores a sense of inner safety — even when the world outside feels uncertain.
Switching off does not mean escaping reality.
For me, it means learning to re-center, to listen to my needs, and to remember that I can influence my inner state — here and now.
And perhaps this beginning of the year is an invitation:
To slow down.
To listen more deeply.
And to care for ourselves — not by doing more, but by doing things differently.
Because calmer parents create calmer spaces for their children — and that, in itself, is already meaningful.
