# Safe Stillness Makes Peace Feel Normal by Bryant McGill > “Peace can feel strange at first. A nervous system used to alarm may treat calm as suspicious and stir up worry to restore the familiar state. Repeated experiences of safe stillness gradually widen the definition of normal.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Releasing Anxiety by Reexamining the Stories We Carry - Livestream (Oct 2016)* ## Sources and Context - **Source:** [[livestreams/Releasing Anxiety by Reexamining the Stories We Carry - Livestream|Releasing Anxiety by Reexamining the Stories We Carry - Livestream]] — exact quotation from the dated developed livestream document (2016-10-27). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Climate Systems as Human Resilience Platforms|Climate Systems as Human Resilience Platforms]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/Releasing Anxiety by Reexamining the Stories We Carry - Livestream|Releasing Anxiety by Reexamining the Stories We Carry - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Stress and Cognition|Stress and Cognition]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Peace can feel strange at first. A nervous system used to alarm may treat calm as suspicious and stir up worry to restore the familiar state. Repeated experiences of safe stillness gradually widen the definition of normal.” — Bryant McGill, Releasing Anxiety by Reexamining the Stories We Carry - Livestream (Oct 2016) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-safe-stillness-normalizes-peace ```