Three Contemplative Practices for Calm in Chaos
When life gets loud, these small, steady practices help you return to yourself and to God.
Chaos has a way of shrinking our world. Our shoulders rise, our breath gets shallow, our mind runs three tabs ahead. And even when we want to pray, we can feel too scattered to know where to begin.
Contemplative practices don’t demand polished words or high spiritual energy. They’re less about effort and more about attention. They teach us how to return, again and again, to the Presence that holds us when everything feels unsteady.
Here are three contemplative spiritual practices I turn to when I need calm and peace in the middle of chaos.
1) Breath Prayer: A Holy Pause You Can Take Anywhere
A breath prayer is exactly what it sounds like: a short phrase you pray in rhythm with your breathing. It’s simple enough to use in traffic, in a tense meeting, while making dinner, or lying awake at 3 a.m.
Why it helps in chaos:
Breath prayer anchors you in your body (where stress lives) and in God (who is already near). Instead of wrestling your thoughts into silence, you give your attention a gentle path to follow.
How to practice (can be done in 1-2 minutes):
Inhale slowly and open with your preferred name for God: “Creator/Jesus/Spirit…”
Exhale slowly and pray: “…guide me/have mercy/sustain me.”
Repeat without forcing anything. Let the prayer flow in and out gently with your breath.
Breath prayer options:
Inhale: “Be still…” / Exhale: “…and know.”
Inhale: “Rock of Refuge…” / Exhale: “…steady me.”
Inhale: “Breath of Life…” / Exhale: “…fill this world.”
When your mind wanders (it will), you’re not failing. You’re practicing returning.
2) Centering Prayer: Letting God Be God (and Letting Yourself Be Held)
Centering Prayer is a prayer of letting go of distracting throught and returning to God’s presence. Through this prayer, we allow any thoughts that arise to drift by like a log on a river, and returning our attention to our prayer word again and again.
Why it helps in chaos:
Stress puts us in high alert and agitation (or sometimes withdrawal and numbness). Survival responses - fight, flight, freeze, fawn - take over. Centering Prayer gives your nervous system a different message: You are safe. It reminds us of the ultimate truth, regardless of the challenges we might be facing, that we are safely held in the arms of God.
How to practice (5-10 minutes, or 20 if you have the time):
Sit comfortably, eyes closed or softened.
Choose a simple “sacred word” as a symbol of your consent (e.g., Peace, Jesus, Abba, Mercy, Love).
When you notice you’re caught up with distracting thoughts, gently return to the sacred word.
No shame, no judgement. Just returning to your prayer word.
Tip: If 10 minutes feels impossible, start with 2 minutes. Even that small portion of time will help to reset you in the midst of stressful moments.
3) Imaginative Prayer: Immersing yourself in a Gospel Scene
Imaginative prayer, which comes to us from the Ignatian tradition, invites you to enter a Gospel story with your senses and let Jesus meet you there.
Why it helps in chaos:
When your inner world is spinning, scripture becomes an anchor. When we take the time to sit with it, exploring a story with our whole selves, this practice can be transformative.
How to practice (10-15 minutes):
Choose a calming Gospel scene (examples below).
Read the passage slowly once or twice.
Close your eyes and imagine the scene:
- What do you see?
- What do you hear?
- What do you feel in your body?Where is Jesus? What is His expression?
Let Him speak to you—not as pressure, but as presence.
Good passages for peace:
Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35–41)
“Come to me… I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30)
“Peace I leave with you” (John 14:27)
End simply: “Thank you.” Or even, “Help.”
A Closing Blessing
If you’re in a chaotic season, you don’t have to climb your way back to peace. You can practice returning ~ one breath, one word, one moment at a time.
Peace isn’t something you achieve. It’s something you receive.
