Resolved

Today:

Today is a good day.
I woke up rested.
I started my day by sending messages to some people I love.
I worked out to some Fitness Marshall videos (bc it's impossible to feel negative while dancing with that guy - he's hilarious).
I ate a healthy breakfast.
I took a long, hot shower.
I read some of my newest library acquisition: Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. *fist pump*
And then I got to work.

Yesterday:

Yesterday was not a great day. Nor were many of the days preceding it.
I felt overwhelmed by sadness or frustration.
I felt like my actions weren't effective or worthwhile.
I was crying at least once per day.
I was doubting my self-worth.
I wasn't feeling motivated to be active or eat right.
I was perceiving negativity where there was none.
I felt strangely alone and unloved, when I know that's not the case.

And then I saw a friend's post on Facebook asking the simple question of how her friends are dealing with staying mentally healthy while also staying up-to-date on US daily news.

And it was like being smacked in the face: "YES! That's the question I need to be asking. That's the problem I need to resolve."

Honestly, the influx of news events and emotions had become overwhelming without me quite realizing it. Despite my husband warning me multiple times about the dangers of getting sucked into the online political vortex, I didn't acknowledge that that was exactly what was happening to me. I was spending hours researching almost everything: feminism, intersectionality, the sources of news articles posted by friends, reliability of particular websites, original videos as opposed to reactionary footage, etc, etc.

Whether you're happy about what's going on in the USA right now or not, there's no doubt that there is a LOT going on. And there is even more anger and sadness and vitriol accompanying it. And whether we realize it or not, that dump truck full of negativity is having an effect on our mental health. Reading through the helpful suggestions* from the comments on my friend's above-mentioned post, I felt something positive washing through me: Resolve.

• I resolved that I am going to stay informed and up-to-date on what's happening in my country, but on my own terms and timeline. 
• I'm going to take care of myself and my loved ones first, and everything else after.
• And I'm going to combat negativity by focusing on loving the people in my life and sphere.

For me, this means I'm going to limit my political update intake to one time per day, and it will never be first thing in the morning. I'm going to get these updates not from Facebook, but from a variety of (relatively) unbiased sources, like BBC, NPR, etc. I'm also going to find actions I'm comfortable with to make on a regular basis (It took me almost 20 minutes to work up the resolve to call my senator last week, and I'm not typically shy or introverted - I just hate phone calls, period.). And even more importantly than all that, I'm going to try to stick to healthy daily routines like today's to be more productive and maintain important relationships.

*Some other great suggestions I read:
~ if you start feeling agitated in any way, take a physical step away from the computer or TV, and look at something else for a while
~ match the amount of news intake you get with some kind of positive activity, like contacting a friend or relative, donating to something you believe in, or writing letters/calling representatives/senators
~ limit the time you spend engaging in online arguments, period
~ limit the time you spend absorbing news
~ be more choosy about where you're getting news - don't just get updates from Facebook or Twitter
~ read more books!
~ get outside more
~ laugh (I'm still culturally behind, so you've probably already seen this, but I just died laughing)
~ build yourself a playlist of music that makes you happy/relaxed and turn it on as often as necessary
~ don't try to fix everything and everyone bc that's just frazzle-making

TL;DR, I felt terrible until some lovely people reminded me to take care of myself first in the face of the overwhelming negative atmosphere in the country.

Do you have any coping strategies? If not for this specific moment in history, then in general? I'd love to hear them.

Much love to Adam, Julie, Joanna, and the writer of this post for the clarity of mind I'm feeling today.

Carpe clearheadedness,

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