Cruelty, chaos and confusion. These are the words that come to mind when thinking about the first weeks of Trump 2.0. The barrage of executive orders, terrible policy shifts and an endless parade of charlatans at Senate confirmation hearings is meant to overwhelm us and make us unable to respond—but we’re not going to let that happen.!
Because we know that the stakes for the people, places and institutions we love are too high for us to just curl up and give in. And it is a sad truth that as individuals we are basically powerless to influence policymakers. But we know that groups of people—who are determined and work together—can turn fear, anger, and grief into action. We’re not naïve. We know that we can’t possibly win all the battles out there—but we can win some of them.
Getting through the next four years is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, so we’ll need to manage our energy reserves wisely. Here are a few strategies I’ve seen that may help.
- Set boundaries. Choose a few issues that you care deeply about. Focus on the issues—and elected officials—you can influence and accept that you can’t fix everything.
- Build community. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.
- Manage your exposure. Be selective with your news sources. Look for trusted explanation and analysis that is a result of measured consideration, rather than a flurry of today’s events that can only distract and overwhelm you. The urgent clouds the important, so you might want to wait 48 hours before reacting to new policies.
- Take a breath. Take a break. Create. Recreate. Continue to do the things and be with the people that bring you joy.
“Joy doesn’t betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine act of insurrection.”
Rebecca Solnit
