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We are living in volatile times. Lots of things are happening in the US that nobody signed up for, no matter where you lie on the political spectrum or how you recently voted. The lack of stability can lead to a variety of emotions, and you may be one of those people who gets angry and uses that anger to make productive change in the world. On the other hand, you might feel helpless or even in denial about everything that is happening, and feel that no matter what you do, “It won’t make a difference”. If that’s your belief, know that you are normal and that is a typical human coping mechanism. Also, you are not burdened with the responsibility of fixing anything. You may however, feel the need to have a bit more power, and to not make the situation worse, so here are a few ideas of what not to do.
- Don’t doomscroll:
We need to stay informed, but maybe set a limit on how much media you consume so as not to get into the hopeless state.
- Don’t engage with toxic social media trolls.
Same reasons as number 1.
- Don’t encourage hateful memes, or memes making fun of “the other side”.
This might make you feel better for a moment, but it doesn’t help anyone else. It might, in fact, radicalize the people you disagree with.
- Don’t argue with your “crazy” relatives.
They need someone to listen. You may be worried that by listening, you are enabling their crazy beliefs, but you’re not. Sometimes people just need a sounding board. If you listen to them, they might be willing to listen to you, or people like you in the future, rather than seeking out confirmation with random extremists on the internet. If this idea seems interesting or new to you, I highly recommend the book “Non-Violent Communication” by Marshall Rosenberg PhD. This book is groundbreaking and in my opinion, way under-read.
If you feel capable of doing a little bit to help the situation, here are some easy ways:
- Donate to charities.
Lots of charities can no longer rely on federal funding, and every little bit helps.
- Write to your Congress people.
Remember that they work for you. They represent the people. Let them know you won’t vote for them the next time if they are voting for bills that only serve a very small percent of the population.
- Normalize normal things.
If you have radical social media friends or family members, “like” their normal posts: cat pics, vacation pics, etc. If you don’t trust yourself to read their feeds without commenting on their hate speech, unfollow them- at least temporarily.
- Check in with people- from all walks of life.
Look for the good in people and show them that you recognize it. Remember that united we stand, and divided we fall. Let’s do our best to stay united.
Thanks for reading!
Rebecca H. Lee
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