How We're Gonna Get Through This
4 ideas to maintain hope & sanity during a 2nd Trump presidency
“Hope is a discipline.”
-Mariame Kaba
I told myself that after Hillary, I wouldn’t be hopeful, but I guess I was. What about all those news stories of pissed off grandmas running to vote blue? It wasn’t enough, I guess. Sitting here in Seattle I feel blindsided, hopeless, and full of dread.
And that’s okay. It’s okay to wallow a bit, eat too much Halloween candy and take some time to be pissed off, sad, and scared. But we can’t stay there forever. So, how are we going to make it through this, yet again? My experience with narcissists and Christian nationalists has given me a few ideas.
Ignore Shiny Objects. Trump’s strategy is to sow chaos. He’s going to say a million batshit things and wait for the media to jump all over them. It’s easy for him because he doesn’t care about telling the truth or the (very predictable) consequences of his words. To paraphrase my therapist, “pay less attention to what he says, and more attention to what he actually does.”
If he follows through on his threats of mass deportations or retaliation against his “enemies” we take to the streets. But we need to learn to filter out most of what he says. To do otherwise is to be captured by his madness.
This election day reminder from Sit with Whit applies to the Trump chaos machine: you think checking the news will make you feel better, but really it only reinforces your anxiety. Ignore, ignore, ignore.
Subscribe to Your Local Paper (If it Still Exists) Why the paper? Because, unlike reading news online, it’s finite. Skim the whole thing once a day and consider yourself informed. You’ll get a good sampling of national and world news alongside the local things you actually can influence. Do I need to say don’t get your news from comedians and comedy-adjacent podcasts? Don’t. Get your news from real journalists. Bonus: research has shown that the watchful eye of a local paper has huge impacts on the health of local government.
Take Care of Yourself. Exercise, drink water, eat as well as you can. Connect with others, make something with your hands, rest. Do things to remind yourself that you are safe whenever you can.
Pick One Cause. If the last time was any indication, there will be a lot of threats and needs both locally and nationally. But we are finite human beings who can’t be everywhere at once. Instead of doing many things poorly, pick one thing you feel really strongly about and focus your energy there. Donate your time and money where you can; trust that others will work on other causes.
I wrote this in my journal last week, and it feels very appropriate to this time:
I have to answer to God for myself and myself alone. Did I fully live this life I was given? Did I strive to do right by others? By myself? Did I choose bravery over discomfort? Did I fight to advance the cause of love? Did I refuse to capitulate to despair? Fight, girl, fight!
How are you getting by today? Do you have something to add to this list? Let me know in the comments. Do you have someone in your life who’s feeling low today? Why not share this post?
Appreciate this, especially the reminder to tune out most of what he says and pay attention to what he does. With you in the shock, grief, and picking up the pieces.
Thank you for your grounded and practical wisdom, Katy. I really appreciate you choosing the discipline of hope and finding the words. I'm so grateful for your vocation as a writer. This really helps today.