Many people are worried about Donald Trump. I Take It To The Extreme.

This is part of Wedge Problemsan emerging political advice column, which continues with the election. Enter a question here—anonymous!

Dear Wedge News,

I don’t want to focus on politics. I think about it ALL THE TIME. I hate 45, Republicans, Mike Johnson, Susan Collins… all of them. I’m worried about Trump winning. I think: WTF are people listening to that makes them think that 45 can protect democracy? And don’t bring me up with abortion and war against women. I need balance. I am asking for help.

-Anxiety and Self-Defense in the Gray North-East

Dear Historically Blue,

First, let’s get the worries out of the way a bit: You have a lot to worry about, and you sound like a generous person who cares. That speaks volumes about your heart and personality.

But you also need to be able to live your life. Since you’re asking about balance, that obviously means not giving up politics altogether but rather keeping your political views balanced with your other interests. I wonder if it would help to try to switch from the mode of mental destruction to some tangible action. That is, can you pick one issue that you care deeply about and decide on simple, concrete, individual steps to take in its service?

A few ideas: volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter; running an abortion fund line or working as a clinic attendant; door knocking for the Kamala Harris campaign or your local congressional race; reading inclusive books to children from your local library; volunteering for an organization dear to your heart; maintaining your local refrigerator or creating one; voter registration; attending community board meetings to push for local policies that help your neighbors; to support the provision of books for those who need books (incarcerated people, underserved libraries in other countries); organizing a group of friends into a Sponsor Circle to help rebuild a refugee family; showing up at the beach or park for trash cleanup; cleaning cages and walking dogs in the animal shelter.

The best situation is to do something by a person that gets you out of the house and around other like-minded people, which will give you a community to enjoy and a sense that you are not alone. Remember that progress has been made by politicians, activists, and ordinary citizens and that by showing up and getting involved, you will be making more than 99 percent of people make a difference. Anxiety can be debilitating, but it can also make you anxious. Get out of your head and into your body do something about that one thing that keeps you up at night, even just volunteering for one hour a week, can slow down depression. And note that many of the ideas above have nothing to do with national politics or Donald Trump.

It can also help you see the issues you care about in a different light. Every time I work on a story, I start with a question, and the answer I end up with is either a little different from, or a little deeper than, I thought I’d get. One of the great gifts of being a journalist is that we get to ask questions, and then spend time talking to a group of interesting people who try to answer them. Try to get into the habit of gathering information about your life, and friends, loved ones, and neighbors that you may not see at all. By talking to real people about an issue you care about, you may find that your perspective changes—that you become a better advocate or begin to see that the problems we face can really be solved. solved, if not all at once. It’s easy right now to feel like things are impossible, but there are challenges and normal things when you want them.

A caring person like you has a lot to offer. But, to use a well-worn phrase, you can’t draw water from a drained well. I find it useful to constantly evaluate your actions against the results: What kind of information, connection, relationships, art, literature, music, physical movement, etc. are you inviting into your mind? you, your body and your life? And what do you take out? What relationships do you build; what creative works do you do; what do you do at work; How do you present yourself in your area? You can write these things down, then check: Do your inputs feel like they support the results you want? Do you spend more money than you take in, or vice versa? When you look at this list, how far does it go beyond politics?

The next step is to measure your inputs and results. If your information is anything like mine during the election, it probably includes a lot of political and social media content and very little else. Another obvious thing you can do is schedule your calendar with the kinds of activities that keep you offline, filling your mind and soul with things that are nourishing and inspiring. Can you buy tickets for a concert or dance for you and a friend? Find an elaborate recipe and invite someone you love to a fancy dinner? Set a “Go read a real book” alarm every night before bed (and set your phone to “Do Not Disturb” at the same time) ? Sign up for a watercolor or ceramics class? Schedule and pay in advance for some type of group exercise class, like yoga or boxing or water aerobics? Do you ask a friend to read a book with you and leave a comment on a voice invitation and comment?

If you come up with nothing, think about what you loved to do as a child, and start there. These things won’t get you into politics, and they won’t save the world—but they can support your political commitments. do want to do. By taking up so much of your time, they will limit how much you can contribute to your politics. In fact, the key is to engage in them regularly rather than making them a one-time event.

Balance is not found by changing your life day by day. It will take one or two small changes at a time to slowly reset the off-kilter curve. The good news is, I suspect that’s all you need: one realistic approach for your political interests, and one for your creative/relationship/non-political interests. completely.

Also, delete your most addictive political apps from your phone, whether it’s Facebook or X or that news app you can’t stop refreshing (everything but Slate, of course) .

— Jill