Life in activism: Seven ways to stop letting the news about Trump drive you crazy

News about Donald Trump isn't making us crazy. We are doing that to ourselves.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

It can be difficult not to feel exasperated by the news these days. Over the last ten weeks, this has especially been the case if you are a Democrat.

Every day seems to bring with is some fresh shock and horror from the Trump administration: pardoning violent January 6 rioters, threatening to annex territory from nearby countries, slapping capricious tariffs on longtime allies, bullying powerful law firms and elite universities into bending their knees, switching sides in the Ukraine–Russia war, gutting federal agencies without either judicial or congressional approval, talk of an obviously unconstitutional third term, and a whole bunch of other stuff that would be far too long to list here. It is really enough to make you feel crazy, isn't it?

Well actually, no, it isn't. Or, at least it shouldn't be. No matter how wrong and unjust the actions of the Trump administration are–and there is plenty of injustice to go around right now–those people and their actions do not have any inherent power to make us feel crazed, scared, or exasperated. Ultimately, if the news about the Trump administration is making us feel bad, that is something we have done to ourselves.

Now, in writing that last sentence, I can easily see how it would leave a bad taste in the mouth of many Democrats and progressives, especially now. As such, I want to make it very clear that in writing this, I am not in any way blaming the victims of Trump's actions, or saying we should ignore or excuse the many unjust actions of the Trump administration. On the contrary, I believe very much that we should all remain well informed of the news of the day, and that we should use our knowledge of harms that the Trump administration is causing as motivation to engage in active, effective, daily resistance against the Trump administration.

However, I also believe that we need to keep a clear head and a positive attitude while staying informed and taking political action. Negative emotional responses to news can lead to burnout, lashing out, and just a generally negative life experience. If we want to be as effective as possible at making a difference in the world, then we need to stay engaged over the long run, be kind and positive to those who we interact with, and enjoy our lives. Doing this requires not letting the news, including the news about injustices emanating from the Trump administration, dictate or manipulate our emotions.

The path toward not letting the news generally, and the latest news about the Trump administration specifically, send you into a negative emotional place starts with recognizing the many ways that we let the news drive us crazy, and what we can do to stop it. So, below the button to become a paid subscriber, I present to you seven ways that you can stop letting the news about Trump drive you crazy.