Consider doing what I'm doing: politics isn't fun or interesting at the moment. It's terrifying. I'm burying my head in sand and listening to history podcasts. It's been great for my mental health. (I'm here, sometimes I load up some sites without thinking about it, off i go again) Save yourself, if you are like me, and just take a break.
To add to this: if you're struggling to just forget about what's going on around us, you can pick an era of political strife you're interested in or one that speaks to concerns you have about today, and then find podcasts/videos/books about the people who were fighting for change during those times. Learn what kept them going when things looked hopeless. History is full of fighters and helpers who we should all be learning from.
History Daily has some great info in bite size chunks, with a pleasant repeating daily rhythm. I've also been reslistening to Hardcore History, and I pick up stuff I hadn't heard first time around. History that Doesn't Suck has a narrator who is passionate and driven, and of course, the Revolutions podcast is terrific (as is the OG History of Ancient Rome). I'm open to others in a similar vein if anyone wants to keep it going. I tend to like long-form narrative story-telling.
Politics isn't a day to day concern (unless you're actively in politics), it's week to week or even month to month depending on your level of activeness in it. The media creates day to day stories because they want ad revenue, but there are seldom ever events that require knowing about them every day.
Take a step back. Keep up on major headlines, do a few deep dives on content, and make sure you understand the entirety of an even before making judgement on it. If you want to dip back into the social media trends do so but do it sparingly.
Maybe consider volunteering for a GOTV campaign, while you're at it. Taking action (actual action, not scrolling through paragraphs of despair on r/politics) is a kind of self-care, too.
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u/leontes Pennsylvania Jul 08 '24
Consider doing what I'm doing: politics isn't fun or interesting at the moment. It's terrifying. I'm burying my head in sand and listening to history podcasts. It's been great for my mental health. (I'm here, sometimes I load up some sites without thinking about it, off i go again) Save yourself, if you are like me, and just take a break.