Isaiah lived in a time of tremendous turmoil. He knew Godly people would suffer along with everybody else, but he also advised people to cope, urging them to focus on something else: to keep their minds on God (Isaiah 26:3).

Quoting Isaiah 26:3 as a means to cope sounds trite. Some people literally live in nightmares of violence or abuse, whether physical or mental or emotional. Years ago I went through a situation myself that was literally a living nightmare, where someone was determined to outsmart me and manipulate circumstances so that I could always lose. i lived in so much fear and felt trapped, I didn't know what to do. I kept thinking I had to be better - that I had to keep thinking it was like a chess game and try to outthink this individual - so that I was "covered" before the person could even consider trying to undermine me. It even got to the point where I was worried for my safety, for I was not sure what the person was capable of. At that time I was not as God-focused but as the situation progressed, and I had turned to God during that time, I gave it all to God. I explained to Him that I needed him to take hold of the whole situation, that it was so unbearable for me and that I needed Him. Then everything seemed to work out. I became exonerated - the situation eventually worked out in my favor and the person who literally sabotaged me at one point disappeared from my life. He is still around somewhere but not where I need to interact with him. God moved that person out from my world - smoothly and justly. 

This example is a bit of an extreme, but my own personal example of what felt like a nightmare. I was constantly being tormented and did not know what to do. I had nightmares nearly every night and the person had so many advocates politically that I was a pawn in the old boys' network. But it all worked out, despite all of that.

If you or someone you know is in a difficult situation, a nightmare where it is unclear on how to best proceed, it needs to go to God. It needs to be covered in the blood of Jesus with FULL faith that though the circumstances are bad now, somehow it will all work out. One's eyes need to be kept on the top of the mountain - to keep the mind on God to overcome the turmoil and attain peace.