It’s 2017! Somehow we managed to survive the dumpster fire that was 2016. As per usual for me, I attempted Nablopomo in November. My goal for Nablopomo 2016 wasn’t to blog every day in November, but to blog a few times a week, every week in November. I felt pretty good about this goal.
And then the American Presidential Election happened and I sort of lost my will to live.
Okay. I’m being a little melodramatic, but honestly. What the fuck happened there, America? You guys okay?
For me, I was sort of at the end of my rope with coverage of the Human Cheeto. And it was depressing to me that so many people looked at this dude that was dumb, hateful, misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, bigoted blowhole and say ‘He’s the better choice.’
So after his election, the realization that he wasn’t going away any time soon, left me feeling really overwhelmed. It was depressing. Disheartening. Anxiety-inducing. It was triggering to see a man that bragged about sexual assault, spewing such hate and bullshit being given such a large stage to continue to bully and harass people. And this guy wasn’t even going to be my president.
I was worried to see the trickle down effect he was having. Hate crimes were being committed in my country in his name.
I ended up having to take a bit of a media break. I avoided watching the 24-hour news stations. I switched the TV or radio off if there was coverage of this dude. I ignored the click-bait articles.
In place of those things, I spent a lot of time doing other things. Reading. Working with my hands. Visiting with my family and friends. Spending time with my newborn niece. It’s amazing how newborn baby smell and cuddles can lessen anxiety symptoms.
My media diet definitely helped me feel less overwhelmed, less disgusted and less anxious. It’s not realistic to ignore the news. I actually believe it’s important to stay aware of what’s going on in the world around us. But like everything else, it’s important to keep a balance about media consumption.
Have you ever had to take a break from the news media, or social media to keep your sanity? I want to hear all about it.