How to do it:

Sit alone, taking stock of how you’re feeling. What are the thoughts that keep popping up? Are you feeling helpless and don’t know what to do, or are you spending so much time organizing that the laundry is piling up? We’re all in a different places, and that place changes for each of us. Where are you now, and how can you adjust?

Or sit with a friend, but don’t discuss what’s happening — talk about how it’s affecting you. Obviously politics may come up, but your goal is to get at the ways it’s affecting your life and emotional well being. “I’m afraid of losing Medicaid” is different from “How will we protect Medicaid?” In this first phase, we’re talking about you, not about fixing problems.

Now make a plan to address what you’ve learned. If the laundry is stacking up while you pour hours into a new resistance web site, take a day off to catch up on your own life and ask family to help. If you find yourself retreating into fantasy novels day after day, consciously choose a few Substack authors who will help you stay informed without sowing fear. We recommend Jay Kuo, Heather Cox Richardson‘s video hour, and Chop Wood, Carry Water as starting points.

Figure out what has become unbalanced in your life, and do something to re-balance yourself. You can’t fight without solid footing.