Christian Ray Flores here, trying to catch my breath after quite an eventful first few days of the year.
things to look forward to
2 episodes coming up, I’m excited about.
Don't miss my upcoming episode with Dr. Caroline Leaf! We dive into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, mental health, and the power of the mind.
My recent post on 30 lessons from 30 years as a Christian entrepreneur struck a chord—so I'm going deeper. In than upcoming solo episode, I expand on all 30 lessons across three fronts: personal flourishing, relational wisdom, and biblical business principles. From breaking generational dysfunction to positioning yourself for supernatural results.
how to stay grounded when the world is on fire
The first week of 2026 has been explosive in international news—and I’ve learned to feel it all without letting it consume me.
Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, has been arrested by the US in a dramatic operation in Caracas. The unrest in Iran has boiled over from protest into something closer to revolution. On New Year’s Day, rockets rained on Ukraine and a young man in Odessa—a city I’ve been in many times—left the house to meet with a friend only to come back to a heap of rubble and his young wife and 8-year-old son dead. I watched a long interview about an 18-year-old Russian street artist, Naoko, who was arrested and eventually forced out of the country for singing “forbidden” songs.
All these things affect me deeply. I was a refugee as a boy, have lived through a lot of political crisis, and care deeply about freedom—both societal and individual.
In the past, I’ve allowed this crisis or the other to derail my emotional health. No longer.
Here are 3 strategies I use beyond prayer (which is non-optional to me—it keeps me tethered to something bigger than my anxiety).
They may come in handy as the news seems to be offering nothing but crisis all around us.
1. freedom is a privilege—be engaged in it.
Most of the world, last I checked more than 70%, lives under one level of authoritarian rule or another. We get to think, speak, vote freely. That’s rare and precious, and it comes with responsibility.
By definition, politicians are incentivized on one hand to govern while being empowered by the people, and on the other to overpromise while underdelivering to be voted into office. Our job is to have convictions about our leanings based on values—to land somewhere in the spectrum of democrat vs republican in a two-party system.
But be aware: party lines also lead to massive group think, and a drift in the wrong direction is more than possible, it’s inevitable. So learn about the people deciding the direction of your city, state, and country. Do you trust them as human beings and leaders? Is it important that you trust them as both? Engage in this and speak and vote according to your conscience. Freedom is both privilege and responsibility.
2. history is a great teacher.
Study history and you’ll realize that some of the things you see in the news cycle that may send you into an anxiety flare-up have happened many times before. Our brains are not built to absorb all the bad news, everywhere, at the same time. The media outlets you’re paying attention to online have a business model. They monetize better when you stay on them. You stay longer when you obsess about bad news.
If you study history, you’ll have a more balanced, non-reactive view about deeper tectonic shifts. You’ll be able to know that Russia/Ukraine is a centuries-old thing, that the Iran situation is a matter of when not if, that Venezuela is what happens when Marxist dictatorships entrench themselves, and that unfree societies tend to tell artists what they can or cannot sing or write.
You’ll also know that while your heart aches at the injustice, pain, and suffering of millions—we actually and objectively live in the most prosperous, healthy, and peaceful times in the history of humanity. That absolutely true statement will not keep you doom scrolling, so you don’t get that on your feed.
3. your personal well-being is mostly defined by things you have most control over.
Your physical, relational, emotional, spiritual, and economic health. When you find yourself stressing out about “the world”—lean into “your world.”
Build a resilient business, body, and family. A great marriage will carry you through any downturn in an economy. Happy children will wipe away most stressors. Deep friendships will fix most bad weeks. A strong business will give you the sense of stability you crave. Eat healthy, move a lot, get some sun, go on long walks. Build a good life.
The world will keep breaking our hearts. Build a life strong enough to hold the grief without collapsing under it.
So I’m curious—which of these hits home for you? Where are you most tempted to lose yourself in the noise?
I love all of this so much! So well said, Christian. Thank you for sharing these words of wisdom and clarity. 😊