Like these down entries and calm our nerves, just a bit churned up (8)
I believe the answer is:
columnar
'like these down entries' is the definition.
(down entries resemble columns)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
(Other definitions for columnar that I've seen before include "Like a pillar" , "as post" , "Relating to a vertical division" , "Pillar-shaped" .)