When Uncertainty Grips Us: Choose Rhythm Over Reaction
Over the past month, I’ve felt it rising—quietly at first, but steadily. Fear. It’s been showing up in my body, my thoughts, and in the pace of my days. And from what I hear in conversations around me, I don’t think I’m alone.
There’s a tightening. A pulling inward. A grasping for control.
What I’ve come to understand is that this fear isn’t random. It’s not an unfortunate byproduct of a busy season or a sign of personal failure. It’s a response—one I’ve unknowingly trained into myself over time. A strategy. A subtle form of control.
At some point, I internalized the message that if I could stay ahead—if I could anticipate, fix, plan, manage—then I’d be safe. Then I wouldn’t get hurt. Fear became the undercurrent that fueled overthinking, overdoing, overfunctioning.
But something important has shifted: I can see it now.
That awareness alone is a gift—one I’ve cultivated through 30+ years of inner work. And while the fear still arises, I don’t have to follow it. I don’t have to let it run the show.
And yet, it’s hard not to be pulled in again. I’ve caught myself spiraling into the news, checking the stock market, looking for some sort of certainty in places that only feed my anxiety. It’s a loop—one that steals my time and poisons my peace.
This isn't new. We’ve been here before.
In 2020, fear flooded our collective nervous system. It was everywhere—on screens, in conversations, even in the air between strangers on the sidewalk. Fear was used—consciously or unconsciously—to shape behaviour, to create control, to divide.
In that time, many of us discovered different ways of coping. Some of us found ways to thrive and deepen our roots in what really matters. Others numbed out or leaned into division. Most of us did a bit of both.
So I remind myself now, as I feel the familiar rise of fear—I have a choice.
Michael A. Singer speaks directly to this in The Untethered Soul, in the chapter The Spiritual Path of Nonresistance. He writes about the suffering that comes from resisting our feelings—and the freedom that emerges when we stop trying to control what we cannot.
“The moment you accept what you’re experiencing, no matter how unpleasant, you open yourself to the energy of the moment. You don’t have to like it—you just have to be willing to feel it.”
—Michael A. Singer
So I ask myself:
How do I stay connected and informed, without being consumed?
How do I engage with the world, and still have the space I need to cultivate purpose, love, and peace?
The answer, for me, lies in rhythm.
In returning to the breath.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is said that the lungs are the source of rhythmic order in the body. While we often think of the heartbeat as our central rhythm, physiology tells a deeper story. In the lower brain—the same part that governs basic survival—the first signal that marks the beginning of life is not the beat of the heart, but the breath. Our lungs receive the command to expand, and we begin to live.
This matters.
Because unlike most of our internal organs, the lungs are one of the few systems we can consciously choose to control—or not. We can be sitting at our desk, decide to take a long, slow breath, and then let go. The breath continues on its own. Automatic. Rhythmic. Wise.
The lungs give us access to our very foundation. They are a bridge between body and mind, self and world. Through them, we can return to a deeper rhythm—the one beneath the chaos. When life feels like it’s coming too fast—too many bills, too much loss, too many tabs open in our heads—the breath reminds us: we can slow down. We can come back.
Dr. Andrew Huberman speaks about this too. A long, focused out-breath calms the nervous system. A longer in-breath energizes. Even, steady breathing maintains balance. You can use an internal count to play with this:
Inhale for 4
Exhale for 6
Repeat. Gently. No force. Just rhythm.
And from that rhythm, I remember what truly matters.
Time with my kids—playing, laughing, being silly.
Checking in on a friend on the West Coast.
Coming together with community to breathe, move, and remember that we’re not alone.
If you're longing for that kind of connection, I invite you to join me.
Every Wednesday morning at 7:30am, I hold a simple rhythm-based practice at Kits Beach:
🌬️ Breathwork
❄️ Cold dip
🌿 Qi Gong in the sand
It’s free. It’s open. It’s a reset.
So if fear is rising for you too—know that you're not alone. And know that the part of you who notices it? That’s the part that’s awake. That’s the part with the power to choose differently. To step into the world not with fear, but with presence. With rhythm. With purpose. With peace.
I’m walking that path right now—and I’ll meet you there.
Meet Kiem (key-m) Schutter
Kiem is the founder of Qi Integrated Health and a lifelong student of healing, rhythm, and energetic medicine. With roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a deep reverence for non-ordinary ways of knowing, he creates spaces that blend ancient wisdom with modern practice. Through breathwork, movement, and presence, Kiem helps others reconnect with their inner rhythm—especially in times of uncertainty.
