So we’re a few months into the Administration of the 45th President of the United States, and we thought it might be a good idea to check in, see how everyone is doing? We talked about getting involved back in November, just after the election, and a lot has happened since then. I’ve been REALLY BUSY since January, and so have a LOT of other people.
Getting Involved
A lot has happened, and there’s a LOT of activism happening, as well. I’ve been participating with a local Indivisible group. My group is part group therapy and part focusing everyone’s energy into concrete actions – who to call on what topics (and what to say), buddy systems for local rallies and marches and protests, keeping each other informed on what town halls and meetings are happening. It’s been great to have something to help me focus all this nervous, anxious energy.
For people who have being going to town halls to support the Affordable Care Act and demand that your Congressional representatives hear what you have to say, I salute you. It’s working! All of this public engagement is making our elected officials listen.
I’ve also been at a rally or protest most weekends (and a few weeknights), and armed with a foam core board and a white board sticker, I can make reusable signs! It’s very efficient and a might lighter than carrying around a giant whiteboard. Also, rallies are a great place to meet dogs, and if you are starved for doggie attention, most of them like to get pets. I say “Can I say hi to your dog?” more than I yell “This is what democracy looks like!” (Also I get my steps in for the day, usually, which has been traditionally difficult during the winter.)
Every time I go to a meeting or a town hall or a rally, I walk away feeling energized and a lot more optimistic about the eventual fate of the world than I went in. Seeing other people who are just as passionate as I am, and feeling their energy always helps. After the women’s march in January, I found myself skipping down the street.
Carrie hasn’t had quite the time or spoons I have had, but she’s way outpacing me on phone calls and letters and petitions – 127 actions so far. I’m super impressed with that. My mom is using her retirement to volunteer with the National Parks Service (you can volunteer, too!) and making a nuisance of herself at meetings and town halls. The other night she was at a meeting about mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (she’s against it).
I also stress bake, much to the delight of my roommate and the staff of my Congressional representatives. I dropped off batches of cookies for the staffers who have been fielding calls and mail at an astronomical rate. Staffers don’t get paid much, and they work their tails off. Be nice to them, even if their boss is acting like a jerk.
Staying Informed
It continues to be vital to support journalism (even more so than in November), and one of the rags that’s doing amazing work is Teen Vogue. They’ve been doing a lot of hard-hitting political analysis and I got a subscription!
I have a number of podcasts I’ve been listening to:
- NPR Politics is very good, and updates usually twice a week (and has gotten to the point that every episode begins with “This was recorded at 3 pm on February 12th, things may have changed by the time you listen”).
- Pod Save America is by former Obama staffers talking about what actions people can take and how to fight against the growing stain of fascism (their brand new media company, Crooked Media, has been adding podcasts to their lineup).
- The Pollsters is two professional pollsters who talk about how polling works and what it means and who try to help people really understand how to read polls and what they actually say.
- Also for those who have an interest in national security matters, I suggest The SCIF, hosted by Juliette Kayyem, a national security expert. She breaks things down into manageable chunks in clear language.
- Amanda has also been listening to Big Time Dicks, “…a female run political podcast by Jezebel reporters. They have some great guests and break down legislation…They usually wrap up each episode with what they’re doing to stay sane.”
Self Care
But life can’t be all news and politics – there’s a level of self-care we need to practice, too. Step away from Twitter or the news (I can’t make a whole day, but I can do several hours at a time). Sarah (who is an Android user) installed an app called AppDetox on her phone and set a limit of minutes per day for Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. She says she knows how to work around it or turn it off if there’s a conversation she wants to follow or be involved in, but having the app reminder her of her desire to spend less time in each place (and to be more productive elsewhere) is very helpful.
Go to a movie (AND TURN OFF YOUR PHONE which you should do anyway because you are not a monster). No, things won’t be any better when you come back, but your brain and stress systems will have a chance to relax. I usually get a massage once a month, which is an hour where not only I am prevented from dealing with the world, but I and my knotted-up shoulders am literally someone else’s problem.
A vital part of self-care that not a lot of people talk about is the not-fun parts. It’s the part where we need to take care of our own environment: clean the house, do the laundry, do the dishes, cook a meal, pay the bills. No, it’s not as much fun as the going out and having a nice dinner, buying a pile of books, watching all the extras on my Lord of the Rings DVDs is. But knowing that my sheets are fresh and I have clean socks and the (state-provided) health insurance is paid and the dishes aren’t trying to grow their own congressman in the sink is a major help.
The most important thing I can tell y’all is that this isn’t a sprint, and it’s not a marathon. It’s a relay race. One of the other women in my Indivisible group describes it as “choral singing.” In a chorus, not everyone can take a breath at the same time, so you stagger the breathing so the sound is not interrupted.
State Farm has just come out with a commercial that I think really encapsulates the feeling of being overwhelmed by everything that needs doing: everywhere this poor guys turns is someone or some cause that needs help, to the point that it all follows him everywhere. Until he finds something concrete he can do, and that lifts the weight. Doing something is better than thinking you should do everything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuyhmA5YAu8
These are intense times and a lot is happening. It’s overwhelming. I hope that by talking about what’s been helpful for me will be helpful for you, too.
How about you? What have you been doing to get involved? What’s been helping you, and what resources have you found useful?
I’m a European citizen in Europe, so I have no skin in this game, but the resilience of US’ians in the face of this catastrophe is absolutely breathtaking. I applaud you.
Also, if I may add a plug? I’ve been listening to Politically Reactive, a podcast in which two comedians W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kandabolu, try to make sense of US politics, mostly by interviewing super interesting guests. And making a joke or two. Their guests are not exactly politicians, but sort of peri-political? So activists and commentators.
I’ve emailed, mailed, faxed, and called reps. It’s tricky because I’m in DC, so I don’t have much leverage I’ve volunteered to teach English once a week (which is really fun and rewarding) and have thrown some money at some good causes and I have more on my list.
I definitely struggle with the balance of self care and staying informed. For Lent I gave up some news outlets that are informative but a little too clickbaity and shouty. I really need to stop hanging out on Twitter (I lurk, I don’t have an account) though. It’s like taking information in by firehose. I try to stay informed with npr, nytimes, and that Washington Post because they’re a little more sedate.
I also struggle with the whole clean house, laundry, unglamorous part of self care (truthfully always) but I try to remember I’m doing something nice for my future self and listen to the SB podcast.
I’m really good at the indulging part of self care. I went to go see Beauty and the Beast and while it wasn’t perfect, it was a morning of delicious escapism.
I have to say I feel cautiously optimistic overall. I don’t want to minimize all the bad things that have happened (and are happening and will continue to happen) but my worst case scenario was a steamrolling and the fact there has been real opposition hasn’t makes me feel slightly relieved.
I have particular people I follow (sort of – I’m not actually on Twitter, I just check in on certain people who are) who help me focus when it all seems overwhelming. @Celeste_pewter is one – I like her website, http://itstimetofight.weebly.com/. Calling reps gives me something concrete to do since I’m in an extremely conservative area where there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of activist groups.
I keep a spreadsheet of all the calls I make and emails I send, so that I have some record for myself of what I’m doing. I also use this to keep track of what I’ve called about, whether got voicemail or a real person, the name of the person I talked to, etc.
And sometimes, like you said, it’s time for self-care. The tough part is making sure that they’re actually just breaks, and not the first step to hiding forever. :-/
I am listening, emailing, writing. I have stepped up my involvement in food security issues. I pray and I have hope.
Phone calls are a nightmare for me (I’m that person who rejoices when I get sent to voicemail), but since the written word doesn’t count in politics anymore, I’ve committed to one call a day. My particular set of bastards flatly doesn’t care about any interests that aren’t their own, but they’re on record as feeling harassed, so their discomfort is reason enough to persist. When they say they voted that way to spite the big bullies who keep picking on them (because that’s adult), remember they voted exactly the same way they would have voted if you’d never spoken up.
A note for everyone laughing about housework as self-care: I once had a cobweb in the corner, and every time I walked into the room, I’d think, “Ugh, this place is a pigsty,” but then HAPPENINGS prevented me from getting a broom to knock it down, so the next time I came into the room, I thought, “Ugh, this place is a pigsty.”
Thing is, the place wasn’t a pigsty. It was just that one dusty strand five feet above my head, and I was catastrophizing it a dozen times a day. I have had ALL THE THERAPY, and the one universally agreed-upon concept is that negative self-talk is hugely damaging. Know what happened when I finally got around to knocking down the cobweb? Twelve fewer punches to my psyche every day and abatement of the “this is a bad place” association I had created toward an area in my home because of a COBWEB.
When there are so many HUGE things weighing on you that will take massive time and effort to fix, it’s no good to pile on the weight of a bunch of tiny, easily rectified problems. I’m not saying go on a twelve-hour cleaning binge as self-care (unless you would enjoy that), but when you grimace over a toilet ring or cat prints in the dust on the TV table, take thirty seconds right then to give it a swipe (even a halfass effort will eliminate weeks of grimaces!), and there will be one less bother quietly chipping away at the footings of your morale.
I’ve found the On The Media on NPR stations is a great help.
Daily calls to my congresspeople, automatic monthly donations to the ACBL and Planned Parenthood, at least one positive facebook post, and TONS of romance reading. Keep calm and read on. 🙂
If you like Pod Save America, you will love The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass & Bluegal. I live for Fridays when this podcasts is posted (as well as the Smart Podcast Trashy Books).
And subscribe to Keith Olberman’s GQ videos.
I’ve mostly been hiding. Small things feel manageable so I focus on caring for my small corner of the world. Volunteering at my library, calling local politicians, and calmly, consistently speaking up to Trump folks who spread misinformation. I’ve donated to PP and local canine rescue groups. I only watch PBS news, and not every day. I read one newspaper. I’ve made a conscious effort to use less social media.
And the “West Wing” binges help too.
The above mentioned podcasts sound great and I look forward to checking them out! May I suggest Swing Left and Sister District to those unfamiliar with them? Both good groups.
And thank you Ren Benton for the reminder about negative self talk! Much needed in my house. Stay strong Bitches!
I’ve been reading News and Guts (the magnificent Dan Rather) and trying valiently not to engage with trolls. I dont’ want to live in an echo chamber but I could benefit from civility in life at this point. I can handle spirited discussion and disagreement, just not the abusive language and condescension. I need to go hide with a cookie now just thinking of it.
This. THIS POST AND ITS COMMENTS GIVE ME SON MUCH HOPE!
My cynical, pessimistic brain wants to cave to the thought that OMG THE END IS NIGH…but I’m pushing that lil bastard outta my head.
Also who else here had a bucket of feelings dumped on their head from that commercial? *FLAILS HAND IN AIR!*
I’ve attended a Town Hall meeting (he booked a venue built for 100 people and refused to change it) and 2,000 of us showed up!!! Also signed every Internet petition I can find, and made several phone calls. Can’t wait to retire (this summer) so that I can march!!
And I forgot to add that the Crooked Media podcasts (Pod Save America and Pod Save the World), along with Rachel Maddow – are keeping me sane!
I’ve replied to my Senators’ and Rep’s tweets, called my Rep’s local office, recently started using Resistbot (https://resistbot.io/) to send them faxes for free, donated to the ACLU and SPLC, and subscribed to the Washington Post. When I retire (3.5 more months!!) I see myself doing more online (introvert here) and maybe going to town halls.
Thanks to everyone who’s made podcast suggestions.
That commercial (astonished kudos to State Farm) was a snapshot of where we all seem to be. Calls, marches, donations. Through all of this, I found out my book club members share the same sensibilities, which is such a relief and a great source of comfort. We can accomplish anything and I love the idea of a relay; I can sprint, I’m no marathon runner, but I’ll take a relay leg as often as I can. Thanks for this, RHG.
Also, Ren Benton, thank you for the reminder about negative self-talk.
Great commercial. I am not in a place right now where I feel I can give my personal time. So I am throwing money at organizations/people I trust to represent.
The list so far includes National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nature Conservancy, California State Parks, Audubon, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris. (Next on the list: Environmental Defense Fund and PBS.) Almost all of these send action emails which make joining petitions and sending letters very easy.
Also sent money to a broke friend whose family is going to Italy this summer (on someone else’s dime) but who needed a boost to pay for a passport renewal.
I am not on Twitter and I don’t watch TV news. I read BBC.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, and CNN.com. I am on Facebook for about ten minutes a day and try to post informative news articles, then check in with my friends. I follow my Rep. Ted Lieu and some other progressives including Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Al Franken, also AltNationalParks.
Other than that, I am just doing what I do. Have not been able to write much this year, so I’m reading a lot.
@Darlynne AMEN TO THOSE GOSPEL WORDS! Next month I’m moving my failed romance bookclub (nobody ever showed after 8 months of trying) from my local library to a library in another state 45 minutes away. I don’t have any friends IRL, nor am I close to my family. Even if I were, they’re all in love with Trump.
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if this bookclub could be a place where we love romance AND the country not going to hell? A girl can dream, man. LOL
Great Resources. I will share this video with others. SBTB is big in my personal self-care. Thank you.
So…. I’ve been kind of subversive, and it’s awesome.
Once a week, I volunteer at my kids’ school library. I did this before the election too, by the way. I shelve and check out books and the like while the media specialist teaches classes.
After the election, I started selectively setting out books that had to do with current events. I wouldn’t group them together or anything. I’d just slyly set one out here and one out there. I live in a brick red county in a purple state, so this might be frowned upon by people in official positions. Novels are the best because it’s not obvious to anyone that’s what I was doing. I feel like fiction and narrative are often much more effective than nonfiction anyway when it comes to getting a point across.
One week, I set out a whole bunch of stories about refugees. Another week, I found novels about kids who started school newspapers and spoke truth to power. So many others: biographies about Frederick Douglass, The Emperor’s New Clothes, endangered species, the Sioux, climate change, Sweden, Jewish history, anything by Mem Fox.
Pretty soon, other volunteers had caught on to what I was doing and they were also setting out books on spies, as well as Animal Farm.
The very best part is that kids seem to be checking these books out. I squee when I see one of them in the return bin.
Get woke, kids! Shaping minds one kid at a time.
@Elizabeth GURL YOU ARE PROOF THAT NOT ALL SUPERHEROES WEAR CAPES!❤❤❤
Thank you! It’s so important to speak out at this time, especially when it comes to healthcare. I belong to a progressive organization called CREDO, you may want to check them out, they are a non-profit company that gives all their profits to progressive organizations.
Glad to hear so many are getting involved on a local level, volunteering or making your voices known. Elizabeth’s post about her subversive library work was golden. You all have made my day! My current volunteer work is focused on growing girl engineers. I am on the planning team for a STEM event for local girls next month. My husband and I also have been helping our little community take care of its own, attending events, donating to the animal shelter, horse rescue, library, and clothes closet, and buying a lot of baked goods.
I have been acting to remove stress from my life. Working on my farm, planning my garden, and researching invasive plants help me from becoming overwhelmed by everything else, especially the crap currently peddled as television news. Pulling weeds is really therapeutic! On Facebook, I’ve turned off notifications or unfriended people or left groups where crazy sauce or alarmist posts at one extreme or the other were angering me. Those “friends” with the agendas don’t seem to miss me and vice versa. I am seeing funny memes and pictures of kids, pets, and home projects again and it reminds me why I joined Facebook years ago. My garden club declared our meetings a “no politics” zone and several members who were more about pushing their politics than gardening did not come back. We have circled back to what first brought us together … gardening, plants, and yummy treats.
I joined my local Democratic Party and am actively helping people run for office and doing social media to publicize all of the protest actions.
There are a ton of Party-affiliated and non-party affiliated groups that need dedicated volunteers.
But I have to say, if you want to get better people in government, go straight at getting better people in government. Recruit them. Be one. (You have NO IDEA how many local offices are unfilled or have no one running against the incumbent.) Help with a campaign. Become a precinct captain. Get people to the polls.
The way to really change things is to get better people in office.
I also use many of the resources mentioned here. In addition I found a great themed journal that helps me keep track of all the numbers to call and what Iver bitched about recently so I can spread the joy around. It’s the Resist Activist Journal & it’s available on Amazon. That plus Rachel Maddow and Rewire and a few other bright spots are keeping me going.
@Elizabeth: I strongly believe in the power of the subversive. I think we forget how potent these small and quiet actions can be. May the Force be with you.
Like Glauke, I am a European who feels great admiration for all of you who have not given in to despair, but are working to find ways to make your world (and our world) better. I want to follow your example.
Thanks for this post. I’ve definitely been dealing with the fatigue of keeping up the fight, but posts like this (and seeing all the comments) help keep me going.
The positive side is that I feel like I’ve learned so much in the past couple months. Like how Planned Parenthood actually gets money (and the terrible laws enacted over the years to keep money away from their often life-saving services), what the ACLU does, etc. Here in NC we are fighting the HB2 fight (still) and I’ve also focused on PP and education. I keep flirting with the idea of running for office of some sort, but I just don’t know if I could handle it. But I hope other women step up because we need more strong female voices in charge, so then I think, well maybe I should anyway…
What Suzanne Magnuson said ….
My day job is right in the thick of the resistance, (I work in community organizing), so I’ve been working on balancing my work activism with my outside of work activism. One thing I’ve noticed is that the election and aftermath has really triggered my anxiety in a way I wasn’t expecting. Because of this and conversations with friends who have been experiencing similar feelings, I’ve become passionate about speaking out on ways to be active when social anxiety (and other disabilities) might prevent you from attending some of the large scale events. I put together this google doc guide as a resource for being an activist with anxiety and I’ve been trying to amplify the signal for opportunities that are disability friendly. (i.e. small group poster making sessions or letter writing parties)
I live in Washington State, leaders of the resistance. 😉 I also have some pretty significant mobility issues. To say I was sad I could not attend the Women’s March as a result is an understatement. My brain, hands, mouth and cell phone work just fine, though, so I’ve been calling. And calling. When I’m not calling, I’m donating. I also have a lovely NYT and Washington Post digital subscription, so I am keeping up with the talking points of what to say when I call my elected officials AGAIN to speak out. I keep fighting because my friends have kids who need a damn country to grow up happy and healthy in.
My Twitter TL is clogged with journalists, national security experts, and other activists. It’s like drinking out of a firehose every day.
The self-care in the midst of this is not easy, especially since I do not have an overly optimistic view of the outcome. I am having a difficult time writing. Being able to lose myself in my manuscript is a big help, but getting there can be a challenge.
Thinking of all of you and hoping so hard for better days.
I live in Australia, where most people are looking on the US with disbelief and there continues to be much more media coverage of American politics than I can ever remember before. It is so inspiriing to read these comments; I applaud all of you for your commitment.
Here we have the Liberal (ha!) Party in power in several states and at the Federal level. They are our version of the Republicans and are patently governing in the interests of themselves and their political donors. We too have generally poor quality politicians, but we do have a three year Federal electoral cycle and compulsory voting! I await the Liberals’ annihiliation at next year’s election with eagerness….
This is helpful.
I have not been as active as I’d like. The election really triggered my PTSD – and that’s true of almost every trauma survivor I know. My trauma survivors support group seriously spent several sessions after the election just talking about that. And now that things have settled down emotionally and even though I’ve been managing it really well, I find myself reluctant to push myself too much.
That said, I am doing some things. I have monthly donations set up for the ACLU, IRC and our local LGBTQ center and I signed up to volunteer at the LGBTQ center. My first gig was helping at an event last week – an artist showcase for Trans Day of Visibility. I’ll be honest – I was afraid it’d be outside my comfort zone and it did push me. And it was great – it was great to be able to show up as a cis queer artist and be there for my fellow queer artists. And I posted about it on Facebook and I was surprised by some of the people who liked my post.
I did march in the women’s March and participated in a post march huddle. I’ve sent my reps postcards. And I’ve gotten more involved with my very liberal church.
@Jacqueline – I love your enthusiasm! Makes me smile (from my quiet corner over here) every time I read them.
@cleo Gurl you are kicking ass and taking names with your Check In status! Don’t beat yourself up for not being as active as you’d like. You are doing your lil part in this big cluster fuck of a situation. And if we all do a little bit then a big bit gets done. 🙂 (Wow. Much eloquent, such inspiring. DR SEUS WOULD BE PROUD lol)
AWWWWWW! It tickles my heart pickle that my words vomit make you go all smiley! My weirdness has meaning, yay!! 🙂
I’m Canadian, but I think I speak for many Canadians when I say that our fate is integrally entwined with that of the USA, and I care what happens south of the border because you all are our closest allies and neighbours. It is heartwarming to see so many really good people in south of the border getting out there and standing up for what’s right, especially for protecting the marginalized and vulnerable.
I just wanted to also second the recco for Politically Reactive. It’s a really good podcast. Also recommend S-Town which, when cranked on your computer speakers, makes house cleaning go much faster.
Making lots of phone calls and donating to ACLU and Environmental Defense . Also joined Swing Left, trying to turn the house in 2018. I live in a swing district, so we’re trying to get rid of our dipwad millionaire representative who moved to Indiana 1 month before filing to run.
A friend recommended Pod Save America, haven’t checked it out yet.
@Elizabeth- AWESOME!
And to everyone else: keep it up! My time is in short supply these days, but I’ve tried to do what I can squeeze in. So far, I’ve called and emailed congressional offices, donated to the ACLU and PP, signed petitions, and am currently trying to recruit all my scientist pals to do a local march for science in a couple weeks. I’m also thinking about getting more involved with the work that my union is doing lobbying our state reps because although my US congressional delegation is mostly blue, my state legislature is pretty red.
@Elizabeth you are amazing.
Love this post and the relay race analogy in particular. I started off strong with marching, phone calls (supportive ones mostly, thankfully my blue state reps are doing good work), postcards, etc. But then I got hit with a bad combo of busy and discouraged. I love the idea that while I take a moment to refocus, there are other strong sisters out there continuing the important work. I did agree to lead the environmental club at my kids’ school for another year…I had planned to pass that on next year but in light of what’s happening I thought it might be important to make sure that keeps going. Someone has to teach them about global warming and recycling! For podcasts I like Pantsuit Politics. Done by two female lawyers, one left and one right-leaning, but not insane. It’s interesting to get that perspective. My self care has been a combination of avoiding overconsumption of news (step away from Twitter) and doing small things to remind myself that the world is still good. And lots of reading…and sometimes more wine than is strictly necessary. Downloaded an app called Forest for my phone. You set it to grow a tree for a length of time you choose, and if you touch your phone, the tree dies! Somehow the need to complete the tiny fake tree things works to keep me from scrolling through article after article at night when I need to be decompressing from the day.
Phone calls, letters, public comments, donations. Right after the election, I organized a group of about two dozen friends, and we alert each other to issues and resources. Will be at the March for Science next. I’ve sent thank you cards to legislators and to our state AG when they’ve been courageous, and always try to thank the staffers; they do have tough jobs.
When my courage falters, I think about John Lewis and how long he has struggled for our country. He hasn’t given up and I won’t either.
To keep going, I try to do some things that I believe will succeed. I put a lot of time into comments on an Environmental Impact Statement when I knew my phone calls that week wouldn’t change my rep’s vote. I’m helping a local bison farm expand its business into my town, a small step toward sustainability. And hey, getting to know new people who seem interesting? Also good.
And I’m building a new raised garden bed. And I’m doing this one to the best design I know, in the hopes of decades of use. Big project. The thought of it calms me.
I try to avoid the news first thing in the morning, when I am not at my best.
@KB Holy cuuuute, that Grow A Tiny Ass Fake Tree To Unplug app sounds not only hella useful but fun! Ok that means my idea of fun is, by definition, “doing nothing,” but still! APP GET IN MUH FACE!
I’m a former organizer who has gotten re-activated post 11/9. Reaching out to neighbors and working very locally has been my commitment. Also, mainline Smart Bitches recs is really helping!