Zen and the Art of Trump 2.0

Some thoughts on how I'm coping that might help you.

Like millions of other people, I’m worried sick about what is to come, because I’m pretty damn sure it’s going to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before in this country. It doesn’t take long to construct very plausible scenarios where things go really bad, really fast.

But, having lived through Trump 1.0 I’m trying to not let these thoughts of dread consume me this time around. Or, at the least, wait for something terrible to happen and try to save my energy for how we react when it’s really needed.

I’ve been a political junkie since high school. But, as the years went by I could tell that it was a little too hard wired into my central nervous system. Especially during election seasons. I’m the type of person where a bad poll could knock the wind out of my day. I’m not being overly dramatic, it wasn’t terrible, but a bad poll or bad news for my side had an effect on me.

Oh, how carefree those days seemed before politics went off a cliff with that monster…

Trump really did become an addiction, a non-stop gawker traffic with the crash on cable news and Twitter. It didn’t help when I left advertising agency life and stuck out on my own just before COVID in 2020. Now I was at home (as were many) and the news was on almost every waking hour. The next Tweet, the next terrible policy, the next norm destroyed.

But, it wasn’t just the bad shit. There was always the promise of something good happening, the other show dropping, some sort of justice coming that would end the nightmare. We all remember the slow-motion disappointments. It really became a toxic mix — unable to turn away from the bad stuff and obsessed with refreshing my feed for something good.

Again, I know I’m not at all alone in this. I decided on 11/6 that I wasn’t going to allow myself to be in that kind of constant vicious circle again. Then again, I’m not going away or giving up. I’m not going to let those assholes win.

What I came up with to help with my sanity is by no means original, but I thought I’d share some thoughts anyway.

News Consumption

I dumped X right after the election and came here. I had tried some of the other alternatives, but glad there was a consensus shift to BlueSky. Needless to say, that has been a real bright spot in an otherwise dismal few months. Beyond the lack of MAGA Nazis I love the feed ability on the platform. I’ve been making a point to jump on interesting feeds and read more non-political articles.

I went cold turkey on cable news for a bit. I have always been MSNBC, but folks like me are well aware of their issues during their daytime programming. Simply not having it on — constantly reinforcing bad news — has helped. There’s being informed and then there’s wallowing. Switching to the former seems much healthier.

Since then I’ve started to dip back in, but on my own terms. Usually Deadline White House and some prime time if the days events merit.

But, in general, I’ve switched my background noise from cable news to…

Actual Music

I’m always making or listening to Spotify mixes I make. It goes back to my mix tape roots. Since 11/5 I’ve been listening to full albums that I’ve missed completely, never listened to in their entirety, or haven’t heard for years. It’s nice to remember that experience of a full artistic statement. There’s also something soothing about not having a random shuffle experience mixing genres that fits into the bigger picture. As for genres, leaning into jazz while working which has been especially nice and opened me up to some stuff I didn’t know.

Film/TV Binging

Lots of people have been doing this and it’s the norm for us during the holidays anyway. Trying to mix it up a bit more, with some more docs that I hadn’t gotten to. Also writing about what I’m watching, which I’ll get to.

Reading

My nightly reading in the last year was overtaken by political news. That often times kept me up at night, so I’m back on the book train — with more fiction and escapism since my usual history consumption tends to bring up current issues/parallels.

Writing

Speaking of books, I finished my first novel last year and Amy got me a professional editor for Christmas. That was a fun and challenging process that was paused on the final round of edits. Going to finish that up and dive into the world of self-publishing since I don’t think publishers are screaming for more romantic thrillers set in World War II. Also want to do some fresh writing — getting back to a novel I started earlier but that had a structure that was a bit too complicated for my first attempt.

Writing II

Creating this Substack site has been a big deal. Boning up on design, functionality, and producing content before I launch has been fun. I have thoughts (both political and policy) rattling around in my head that I know I’ll need to get out, because it’s cathartic and it fine tunes my thinking. Maybe it will help in some small way.

For years I’ve had a blog that I don’t utilize. I want to do some more long-form writing of all kinds there that folks can read if they want. That’s the entertainment and “life” essay type stuff — kind of like this. It feels good to do it, and maybe people want to read it and have a place to go where there’s more than politics. Basically, creating a stripped-down Huffington Post circa 2009. 😉

If it wasn’t winter here in Michigan I’d be outside. I’m not a gardener, but I have projects I once dreaded that now seem almost exciting. I do love to cook, and trying to broaden my repertoire on that front (and back) burner.

So, these are how I’m mining my interests to balance things out a bit better and maintain my mental state. I think the bottom line is that everyone invests more time in the hobbies and interests that they love. We’re not just political animals, we’re well-rounded, thoughtful people who need the nourishment of friends, family, and the interests that make each one of us the individual that we are.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I don’t want to let Trump dictate my central nervous system. However they manifest themselves, there are going to be big fights ahead. I think keeping yourself from being constantly “rattled” by the smaller, diversionary stuff makes us healthier and better prepared to win those battles.

Whatever you’re doing to stay mentally healthy, I wish you the best.

— M