Coping in the age of all-consuming existential dread
by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com
With our new/old president/king dominating the headlines with his well-orchestrated flurry of wacky and dangerous executive orders, bizarre photo ops, and magical thinking, you may or may not be experiencing symptoms ranging from unease to panic, accompanied by rapid heartbeat, fury, and/or the joyless laughter of the damned.
You may feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and defensive. Rest assured, citizen, what you’re feeling is normal. Your institutions — from the courts to Congress, the civil service, and especially the executive branch — are under attack. It’s only natural for your first instinct to be to rebut every lie, react to every grossly unqualified appointment, and defend your teetering, late-stage democracy to your dying breath.
But this state of heightened anxiety is exactly what the new administration’s architects and wannabe oligarchs have in mind; they want you reacting, outraged, flailing away at every new infuriating, false, gaslighting declaration. It’s political rope-a-dope. A fatigued opponent is less observant, pliable even.
You must say no. No to constant outrage. No to reposting every meme that comes across your feed. In the words of The Bard himself, LL Cool J, “I just chill. I don’t stand outside too much. I do what I gotta do and chill, man, know what I’m saying? That’s all. It’s cool.”
So, do what you gotta do, but be chill, ok?
Please, be kind to yourself. Choose your battles wisely. Constant outrage will wear you down, and could make you sick. It’s best to rage against the machine in ways that do not drain you. Go slow. Start local. Stand up, speak up, but be mindful: a constant baseline of anger and indignation is bad for you.
It’s ok to take a break. To that end, here’s a handy list of mostly free things you can do to stave off creeping rapidly advancing existential dread:
- Breathe
- Work hard
- Stretch
- Good coffee (lots)
- Volunteer somewhere, anywhere
- Donate to a cause that aligns with your beliefs
- Turn off the news
- Delete social media
- Call someone you love and say hi
- Aggressively pet/squeeze/smooch your dog or cat
- Take the dog for walk
- Take yourself for walk
- Play Lucinda Williams, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”
- Gym, if that’s your thing
- Sing (ability not important) in the car, shower, rest of home, front yard, Trader Joe’s, Target
- Have sex
- Have nap
- Read “Tapping the Source” by Kem Nunn
- Call your best friend and joke about stuff (politics ok)
- Drive to the beach and look at ocean
- Drive to mountains and look at … mountains
- Do crossword puzzle(s)
- Go thrifting, buy something unnecessary
- Make something (art, furniture, a ruckus)
- Go on a bike ride (helmet very important while feeling existential dread)
- Cook something delicious and familiar
- Cook something new
- Wine
- Cocktail(s)
- Pajamas
- Go for another walk
- Re-alphabetize your record collection, spin a long-neglected fave
- Sing some more
- Purge and donate clothes you haven’t worn since GHWBush Administration (it’s over …)
- Go check out a new park with your kids/grandkids/dog
- Suspend disbelief for a while at Laemmle Claremont 5 Theatre
- Re-read “All the President’s Men” and marvel at its quaintness
- Play any instrument (ability not important)
- Write a letter to your significant other/child/friend just to say you love them
- Get dirty in the garden
- Plant something
- Fix something tangible (your trauma addled mind will have to wait)
- Wash your car
- Spa pedicure (you will not regret it)
- Write letter to the editor complaining about inane column
- Clean behind stuff, where nobody sees (you’ll know, and it will be satisfying)
- Read The New Yorker (avoid politics)
- I’ve heard pickleball is a thing
- Church, if that’s your thing
- Bananas
- Boy’s/Girl’s night (Uber a must)
- Google “best comedy movies of all time,” binge
- Sleep late
- Get up early and watch sunrise (coffee)
- Play “Somethin’ Else,” by Cannonball Adderley
- Watch sunset, make wish (politics ok)
- Subscribe to “Retro Game Shows” on YouTube and marvel at the political incorrectness
- Take a long, hot shower
- Write a poem (ability not important)
- Call that friend you lost touch with who moved to Florida (definitely no politics)
- Write your own list
And if you’re one of the many Americans celebrating our country’s lurch toward … whatever this is, then good on you. Enjoy the spoils. You won. You too are welcome to this list of dread-reducing tips. Sharing is caring.
You’d do the same for me, right?
Help wanted
The Courier is looking for a full-time reporter. Duties include reporting on city government, schools, police, fire, and courts, spot news, profiles, and features. Photography skills are a plus. The ideal candidate will be well versed in journalistic ethics and AP Style, curious, dogged yet tactful, be able to manage his or her time efficiently to meet weekly deadlines, and produce clean, concise copy. Salary is competitive with local weekly newspapers in the region, and the job includes medical insurance, paid vacation, and paid sick days. Email editor@claremont-courier.com to inquire.
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Give me a break, is your life, or anyone’s around you, worse off in the last month? Give things a chance, maybe they’ll actually get better.