What Do We Do When the World Doesn’t Make Sense?

There are moments when the world feels so heavy, so fractured, that it’s hard to know how to move forward.

Moments when something violent, unjust, or heartbreaking happens and suddenly the stories we tell ourselves about safety, fairness, and order no longer hold.

In the wake of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, many of us are carrying anger, grief, fear, confusion, and a deep sense of unease. And alongside those emotions may be another layer—guilt for not being productive, frustration with ourselves for feeling distracted, or pressure to keep going as if nothing has changed.

If you’re feeling this way, I want to say this clearly:

Nothing is wrong with you.

What you’re experiencing is a very human response to a world that does not make sense right now.

When the Nervous System Meets an Unjust World

We often think of reactions to tragedy as emotional or psychological. But before thoughts and feelings fully form, your nervous system is already responding.

Your nervous system’s primary job is not to help you stay organized, productive, or pleasant. Its job is to keep you alive.

It does this by constantly scanning your environment for cues of safety and danger. When something happens that signals threat—especially moral threat, collective violence, or harm to innocent life—your system takes notice.

Even if you are physically safe in this moment, witnessing violence or injustice can register as:

• This world is not safe.
• People like me or people I love could be harmed.
• The rules no longer protect us.

When that happens, your body shifts priorities.

Instead of supporting focus, creativity, and long-term planning, your nervous system moves into protection. That protection can look like:

• Freeze or shutdown (foggy, numb, stuck)
• Hypervigilance (anxious, restless, unable to relax)
• Exhaustion (even if you haven’t “done” much)
• Withdrawal or a desire to be alone

This is not a personal failure. It is biology.

We live in a culture that expects us to witness devastation and then immediately return to normal—answer emails, attend meetings, make decisions, care about deadlines. But your nervous system does not operate on cultural expectations. It operates on safety.

When safety feels compromised, productivity is no longer the priority.

Grieving More Than One Thing at a Time

In moments like this, we are rarely grieving just one loss.

Yes, we grieve the life that was taken.

But we also grieve:

• The belief that our communities are protected
• The sense that our homes are sanctuaries
• The idea that if we follow the rules, we will be safe
• The version of the world we thought we lived in

This layered grief can feel confusing because it doesn’t always have a clear name. You might feel angry one moment, hollow the next. You might feel deeply sad and then strangely detached.

All of these responses make sense.

There is no correct emotional order. No timeline. No “right” way to process.

And there is no requirement to be okay.

Why “Pushing Through” Often Makes It Worse

When the world doesn’t make sense, many of us default to forcing ourselves forward.

We tell ourselves:

• Other people have it worse.
• I should be able to handle this.
• I don’t have time to fall apart.

While these thoughts are understandable, they often create more strain.

From a nervous system perspective, pushing yourself to perform normalcy while your body is responding to threat creates internal conflict. One part of you is trying to stay safe and make meaning. Another part is being told to ignore that and carry on.

This conflict is exhausting.

It can deepen freeze responses, increase anxiety, and leave you feeling disconnected from yourself.

Rest, on the other hand, gives the nervous system space to recalibrate.

Rest does not mean you don’t care.
Rest does not mean you’re giving up.
Rest is not avoidance.

Rest is repair.

What Rest Can Look Like When the World Feels Broken

Rest does not have to mean lying down for hours or stepping away from life completely (though sometimes it can).

Rest can be gentle and realistic.

It might look like:

• Lowering the bar for the day and choosing one small, doable task
• Taking breaks from news and social media
• Letting yourself feel grief without immediately trying to fix it
• Moving your body slowly, intuitively, without performance
• Sitting quietly and noticing your breath for a few moments
• Reaching out to someone who feels safe

It may also look like acknowledging the absurdity of being asked to care deeply about trivial things while something devastating has just occurred.

Sometimes simply naming, “This is a lot for a human nervous system,” is profoundly regulating.

You Are Allowed to Respond With Care

In times of collective pain, there is often pressure to harden—to become numb, to move on quickly, to keep functioning no matter the cost.

But the inability to simply “work through” a monstrosity is not a weakness.

It is evidence of conscience.

It means you are connected to your humanity.

At The Teal Yogi, we believe that healing is not about bypassing pain or pretending the world isn’t broken. Healing is about learning how to stay present, compassionate, and grounded within a world that can be deeply unjust.

This includes making space for anger.
Making space for grief.
Making space for fear.

And making space for rest.

When the World Doesn’t Make Sense, We Come Back to the Body

When answers are elusive and logic falls short, the body can become an anchor.

Gentle, trauma-sensitive practices—like mindful movement, breath awareness, and grounding—help signal safety to the nervous system.

Not by denying reality.
But by reminding the body that, in this moment, it is supported.

This is why community matters.
This is why safe spaces matter.
This is why you matter.

You do not have to make sense of everything today.
You do not have to fix the world.
You do not have to carry this alone.

If all you do is breathe, rest, and get through the day—that is enough.

Our doors and our hearts remain open.

You belong here.

With Love and Compassion,

Mandy

Mandy Flannery, Founder & Lead Instructor at The Teal Yogi

Mandy Flannery is the founder of The Teal Yogi, a trauma-informed yoga studio in Lockport, IL. She helps women reclaim their sense of safety, agency, and balance through yoga and mindful practices. Mandy’s teaching blends trauma-sensitive approaches with practical tools for daily life, making yoga accessible, empowering, and healing for everyone.