May 26, 2026 | Issue Archive
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What Does Your Panic Look Like?
"Panic? Not me."
That's what most of us think.
And that's exactly the problem.
The first choice masters of Radical Adaptability make is Calm over Panic. Not because they're unshakeable. But because they've learned to recognize panic before it runs the show.
Here's the thing: panic doesn't always look like a scream in a horror movie.
It doesn't announce itself. It just quietly takes the wheel. Starts sending emails. Filling the calendar. Firing off directives. (Often, looks like productivity.)
And what causes panic for you may not be what causes panic for me.
For example, getting on stage in front of thousands of people? I get nervous... but I don't panic. Trying to retrieve my carry-on bag that's stowed three rows behind me, though? Meaning I have to swim back to while everyone else is moving forward, trying to get off the plane?
That one gets me every time.
We're all triggered by different things. The first step isn't overcoming panic. It's recognizing it.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Last week we talked about the Faith File — the evidence you collect to remind yourself that you've done hard things before.
But here's what I didn't say explicitly:
You can't access your Faith File if your nervous system thinks you're under attack.
You can't think clearly, act courageously, access confidence, or connect with others while your brain is in survival mode. Calm isn't just one of five choices. It's the door the other four are behind.
And you can't walk through a door you don't know is closed.
What's Your Panic Story?
Several years ago I was running late to a mindfulness class.
I know.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic. Stuck in the slow lane. An instructor who had specifically asked us to arrive on time. Story stacking on story — I'd walk in late, everyone would turn, serene silence, judging eyes.
Then I caught myself.
Stressing about the traffic is not going to move the traffic.
So I did some intentional breathing. Relaxed. Enjoyed the drive.
And I arrived on time.
The panic was never about the traffic. It was about the story I was telling about the traffic.
While we can't always — immediately, at least — change the circumstances, we can always change our experience... and that just might change everything.
This Ends Now
Letting panic drive without ever checking who's behind the wheel.
You don't have to eliminate panic. You just have to notice it before it makes your decisions for you.
This Moment Matters
Name your panic and you dilute its power.
Not analyze it. Not fix it. Just name it.
When you can say — even just to yourself — "this is what panic looks like for me right now" — you create just enough space to make a different choice.
One breath. One question. That's the whole move.
Up we go—
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