Checking In and Getting Involved Part 2

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?