When I find myself deeply affected by any crisis, I take five actions to reduce my anxiety. I do what I call “reality checks,” take control of some part of the solution to the problem, exercise regularly, do some rational thinking about the situation, and practice my faith.

REALITY CHECKS: To sort out the distinctions between my perception, illusion and reality, I ask other people how they feeling about the crisis. I usually discover that my feelings are somewhere within the normal range. I find people who hardly notice the crisis, and I find people who are more anxious that I am. Most people are like me. They are concerned, sad, and are trying to find some appropriate response. Once when I talked with a Vietnam veteran about terrorism, I realized that I was not as anxious as he was, and that his concern stemmed from Vietnam memories. I realized that our concerns often stem from our past experiences, and that we were always going to have those concerns. I usually feel less anxious after my reality check with a cross-section of other people.

TAKING CONTROL: From a brief personal experience with a fear of flying, I know that I feel anxious when I am not in control. There are some aspects of any situation that I cannot control, but there are also some things I can. When flying, I can’t control the plane, but I can control my emotions. In the same way, during any crisis, I can get involved in a way that makes me feel more in control. During the Gulf War of 1991, I volunteered as a case worker for the Red Cross. I watched less CNN and took control of the amount of televised violence that I would let into my home.

It seems important to keep watching CNN, but there's a good reason to turn it off for periods of time as well. The impression we get from TV is not always realistic. It's designed to keep us watching, even when nothing new is known, by repeating the most sensational footage that has already been aired. People experience more stress about things they can't control than about things they can. Instead of watching TV, find something that you can do to that is consistent with your beliefs. We need to focus on our work.

FITNESS: I have less energy when I don’t exercise regularly. In the middle of a crisis, it is hard to believe that it is important to go to the gym and take care of my personal wellness, but I know I have to do that in order to be available for whatever further action I take. I feel much better when I get aerobic exercise. I suspect that exercise works out my fight or flight response, and endorphins work to counteract my distress.

RATIONAL THOUGHT: Like John Nash in the film “A Beautiful Mind,” I apply logic to the situation. For example, while I am disturbed by the violence in the world even as I write this, I have already lived through a lot of violence. Vietnam was scary, but I was so busy worrying about my personal future that the larger global issues which concern me now were secondary. The difference is that now I am older, and I feel that I’m one of the people “in charge.” However, that is an illusion. I have never been, and never will be in charge. Control is an illusion. We all have very little control over many things!

As an example of that, let’s say that instead of trying to avoid being killed by an act of terrorism, I set out to accomplish just the opposite. I couldn’t do it! I could fly back and forth from Saudi Arabia to London on British Airways, and sit next to suspicious, athletic-looking men carrying heavy Samsonite attaché cases every day for a month, and never be able to pick the plane that was going to blow up. If I want to worry about the way I’m going to die, then I should worry about cancer or a heart attack. That’s realistic.

I learned a lot when I had cancer. I was worried when I was told that I had a 1 in 20 chance of dying. When I told that to a friend, he said, “No, we all have a 100% chance of dying. It’s just a matter of when.” In the midst of crisis, I need to get on with my life. If I stop flying around the country or move to Australia, I am already defeated by terrorism. I have already stopped living. If there are soldiers with the courage to fight in dangerous territory, I can have the courage to fly on commercial airlines and attend large public events.

The important thing is that I take charge of what I can—my personal reaction and response to any crisis. In addition to promoting positive messages through the speakers bureau and my own speaking, and working for the Red Cross or other positive groups, I work toward my political goals by staying informed, taking a stand, writing politicians, voting, and supporting life-affirming organizations.

FAITH: In times of crisis, I worship, talk with my minister, and remember stories in which faith and hope transform evil situations into positive ones. In a war, the right side is not necessarily one political point of view or the other, but it may be the perspective of all those people on both sides of the conflict who are engaged in life-affirming action. In 1923, the artist Robert Henri said that in the midst of political upheaval, painting, music, literature, and the other art forms are still evolving. The artist must continue to do his or her work. In fact, the arts can heighten awareness. I have found that focusing on what is going on right now in my immediate environment, and what I need to do about it, greatly reduces my stress.

I imagine that I have a counterpart somewhere even in an opposing camp who is ministering to human need wherever it is encountered. We are the good guys, and I believe that in the end, good wins over evil.

During times of crisis, there’s a sense in which I try to resist destructive thoughts that would inhibit my ability to act. I want to be in a state of preparedness. I continue to engage in creative and productive pursuits, listening to the Zen poet who wrote: