The world is too much with us
As I sat down to write today, my thoughts were flying in a whole bunch of directions all at once. How to be of aid. How to comfort. How to assist. How to offer resources. How to entertain on some level. Whether any or all of those were even my “job.”
There are those who believe we chose to be born at the time we were, and therefore this work is ours to do. Whether you agree with that particular take or not, here we are, and it’s my belief we have a duty to do what good we can. Or to borrow from the Methodists, and the quote often repeated (or paraphrased) by Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton:
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
As a person of faith, though not necessarily any one recognized faith, I believe in the truth of that quote. I also believe in the teaching of the Talmud: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirkei Avot, 2:21). So this is me, trying to do some good today, here in my corner of the internet.
Thoughts about dealing with the onslaught of horrifying news
What follows is a list, not in any order of priority. Hopefully you find one or more things to assist you if you have been upset, distressed, or downright panicky about what has transpired in the last (checks calendar) two weeks. More on that in a second.
We have been experiencing an intentional onslaught of horribleness. It was created on purpose, and the ever-reprehensible Stephen Miller has described it as a “blitz” that is purposefully designed to “flood the zone” and demoralize opponents to the point that they don’t put up a fight.
Shorter version: if you are feeling overwhelmed, it is because the administration WANTS you to be overwhelmed. One way to resist is to refuse to let them “win” by overwhelming your mental health. Below are ways to work on that.
I am just obstreperous enough not to want to do what they desire. So I fucking refuse to be overwhelmed ON PRINCIPLE. Here are some of the ways I am doing that:
I am not watching or listening to the news much, if at all. Days and weeks have gone by (since November 5th, in fact) without me turning on any news at all. It frees up my time to do things that nurture me, and keeps me from constantly feeling bombarded, or from waiting to see what fresh hell is next.
This is not to say that I’m not informed. I DO read up on what is going on, usually checking once in the morning and once later in the day. (For the past two weeks, it’s more like four times a day because it’s been such a flood of info.) I legit follow a bunch of reliable sources on Threads and BlueSky, which is where I now get my info so as not to get sucked down a rabbit hole on a major paper or news program’s site.
Here’s a truth: Whatever is happening, it is not in your personal power to stop it. You can be informed and make necessary calls to representatives, and/or help individuals affected by the cruelty, and then go about your day. Watching it all happen in real time doesn’t change things OR help you to function. It’s fine if you find out about it after the fact—that’s how the news always was until the advent of the 24/7 news cycle in the late 80s.
I remind myself that we knew all of this was coming. Anyone who listened to what was said and read Project 2025 can tell you that this was ALL spelled out.
Reminding myself that this is not a surprise is somehow reassuring. It doesn’t change the fact that all of their appointments for offices are unqualified and awful people. It doesn’t change the fact that their actions are in many cases completely illegal (e.g., “abolishing a congressionally approved department (like USAID or the Department of Education) by executive order”, or “sending American citizens to El Salvadorean prisons). But I remind myself that I knew this was what they stood for, so the “finding out” that is going on isn’t really for me—it’s for people who didn’t pay attention, or voted for some of it without realizing all of it. None of it may be good, but at least most of it isn’t a surprise.
I remind myself that me burning myself out or devolving into fear or panic is their goal, and that if I end up in that head space, I cannot take action to push back or protect others who are more vulnerable than I am. This means I’m back on my self-care bullshit, big-time. See the next point 3, below. (Sorry for the repeated numbers - Squarespace must be drunk when it comes to lists.)
I have revisited and reinforced my boundaries, and have opted to decrease my time on social media. The more you allow yourself to be beat over the head with “oh my god, what next?” vibes, the worse you’re going to feel. I’ve decreased time spent on FaceBook in particular, though also on Instagram. I am not leaving either space, however, because it’s where a bunch of my friends “live”.
I have also revisited my boundaries when it comes to people—I unfriended a cousin who is all-in for the current guy in office. I left groups that were no longer active or interesting to me.
I have doubled down on self-care. That means shoring up the basics (the base of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs), such as sleep, nutrition, hydration, and movement. It means doing things that I know will help support my nervous system so it doesn’t remain stuck in fight or flight energy. It means things like breathing exercises, grounding myself, clearing my energy field (aka my aura) with smoke or selenite, meditation, journaling, and gratitude practice. It means stretching and shifting venues in my house to remind myself I am not actually stuck.
I have also been reading my tarot and oracle cards, which, I must say, have been unfailingly reassuring that things are going to turn out alright in the end, even though I cannot see how. My spirit guides keep coming up with that message too, blaring Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” (“Don’t worry about a thing. Every little thing gonna be alright” and “this is our message to you-ou-ou.”)
If you want more thoughts on self-care and life in times of crisis (and a BUNCH of links to prior posts on various subjects), I recommend reading this blog post: “I am once again asking you to take care of yourself.” Another post for you to check out would be “What to do when everything feels hard.” Plus you can check out my ebooks, 12 tips to help you sleep and Lower your anxiety.
Finally, and circling back to the title of this post, I am reminded that this isn’t the only fraught period of history. The United States has faced existential crises before. The world has been topsy-turvy many, many times. One of those was during the Napoleonic Wars, which were in full swing at the start of the 19th century. It was during that time (1802, to be precise) that William Wordsworth and his fellow Romantic poets turned to nature.
Going outside and/or engaging with nature (which could conceivably occur indoors, as in a greenhouse or aviary) is excellent for your mental and physical health. I’m closing with Wordsworth’s poem, “The World Is Too Much With Us,” which is about how world events can blind us to the world around us. I hope you find some peace in it today:
The text of The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth
A globe is featured on a desk
