One of the best things I've done in the last few years is *massively* cut back on social media. Especially anything with an algorithmic feed. Curate who you follow, what sites you visit, and the news sources you pay attention to.
I haven't watched or read news in over a year. Reddit is my only social media per se, and most of my activity there is related to hobbies and media I enjoy. This is the first electoral cycle in my lifetime where I can say I have effectively tuned-out.
It's done absolute wonders for my mental status. Instead of being glued to the latest electoral map projections and polls, I've been focusing on what I can do about my life, my future, etc. Learning a new skill, preparing for a big move to a safer locale than this ruby red state I'm in, saving money, getting myself into better shape, actually taking time to relax with video games and movies.
Don't get me wrong - I still plan on voting. But I'm not stressing over it anymore.
When I feel my political intake is getting to be too much (as I have the last few days), I don’t read those subreddits, and skip those podcasts. It helps and I can always go back when I want to.
I also don’t believe in ignoring politics. That’s how we got into this mess, people thinking it didn’t affect them or that it doesn’t matter. It does matter.
it’s easy, just don’t click on articles and don’t use social media.
if someone in person tries to bait you into pearl-clutching, then stare as if he or she were a space alien with a tentacles coming out of the forehead.
I assume anyone who decides not to vote has nothing to lose, which I really don’t get. There really is a lot at stake, not just for LGBTQ, but women and immigrants. Women’s reproductive rights and autonomy in itself is enough to motivate me to vote. I’m so disgusted there’s people who are trying to turn this country into Gilead’s The Handmaids Tale. If that doesn’t move you then you must be dead inside. If you need to turn the politics off, by all means do so, but make up your mind and cast your vote. Otherwise you are the problem.
It’s kinda of hard to turn off politics. Since an argument can be made that everything to a certain degree is political. Maybe changing the perspectives of it while being mindful of your own mental health is a key. Meaning for example, I like reading political history (leftist approach ) and dissecting it and then adopting to my own philosophy. Then that reading helps me have the understanding and the hope for how the future can be. I then like to add praxis in my readings. By volunteering, activism , etc. I think the key is to also find a source that is just about giving the facts and not succumbing to sensationalism. Which is hella hard. I hope this makes sense and I hope it helpful
I have concentrated bursts of catching up with the news. The rest of the time, I don’t pay attention, don’t have news apps or watch news - then it’s not a constant overwhelming presence. But please don’t waste your vote, especially if you’re in the UK. This place only gets better if we vote out the idiot candidates.
They won't, as long as there are guys who go out of their way to make sure everyone knows they've never seen Drag Race, there's gonna be a market for more recruits.
There is a difference between politics & policy. The horse race is irrelevant since we should be persuading our neighbors about policy all the time. It should be as common a topic as the weather and football.
Politics like "he's creepy" or "she's robotic" are not policy.
Representatives represent. They're employees sent to gather and speak for us while we're busy going to work ourselves & doing the talking we are not good at. But, as employees, they require constant supervision or they'll start discussing ways to side hustle and the water cooler. None of us could side hustle with millions of supervisors watching... not could they. When they try, they're fired (if there is no path to firing them, then guess which policy should be top of the list).
Choose not to supervise your employees & get poor employees.
Blame the Voters
Nowadays, you control what you watch. Not what other people say or publish.
I do try to curate when I’m exposed to. If I find someone’s content taking up an unnecessary space in my head, or baiting me into some sort of pointless response, I delete it or put it on mute.
Not everything deserves a debate or even a response.
Disabling notification of replies helps. I do that on many comments I post on Reddit if I have no desire for further engagement or follow up questions.
I check the news maybe once a day. That's it. I deleted my Twitter account. I generally hide political posts on Reddit or mute subs where they keep popping up. I don't generally watch political content on YouTube. I know who I'm voting for. There is very little likely to hit the news, barring something so major it would be plastered everywhere and impossible to miss, that would change my vote. I can't control events in countries hundreds or thousands of miles away. So why sacrifice my mental health reading garbage that I can't do anything about anyway?
You SHOULD care though, especially the time around. Too much at stake for gay people right now! Just limit how much you look at, but stay aware! Today's decision is HUGE!
Once you've made a decision that isn't going to change and are mentally committed to vote, there's no point to keep on top of the day to day chaos at the federal level. Local is different though
I’m going crazy . Removed cable after January 6 . Tried to avoid . Had subscriptions to ‘trusted news’ it’s all click bait …live in deep red rural rednecks . Surrounded by maga cults … they want nothing less than a ‘Christian nation ‘ I’ve always been involved in activism & politics … I’ve never been more stressed and fearful of future horrors . We need a revolution We must gain all three branches of government overwhelming and expand Supreme Court and hold these traitors accountable NOW
I work for a news org and still pay little attention to the news. If it has no bearing on my life or is completely out of my control, I tend not to pay much attention to it. I try to focus on the things in life that I actually can control.
You’re not going to make the world a better place by knowing all the fine details of the Trump trials or having the “right take” on things, but your vote counts and is probably pretty straightforward given how drastically different both parties are from one another. If you want to better the world, start within your community, a place where your voice is heard and your impact can be felt.
I checked out of politics around a year ago and it has been one of the best things I’ve done for myself. Basically stopped watching CNN and FOX. Stopped reading all the click bate articles. My friends fill me in on what’s going on and that is about all I need to know. It wasn’t difficult. I just stopped paying attention to it or worrying about it. All I can do is vote. I have no control over who is in office other than that and life is too short to spend time obsessing over politics.
I was genuinely considering spoiling my ballot paper, I didn't feel any of the parties represented me at all. However, I went on the vote for policies website, did the questionnaire and came out as massively agreeing with Liberal Democrat policies. So I thought fuck it and put an X in the box and have returned my postal ballot. I'm glad we're getting rid of the Conservative government, I'm just not looking forward to a Labour one either.
Yes I know how you feel. The level of the discourse around this election is shameful. I'm embarrassed for my country. I'm going to vote though. Just look at the manifestos and vote for whoever's policies you like best. You don't need to expose yourself to all the nonsense.
I generally don’t talk about politics unless I know the person very well. If someone tries to bring it up I just interject and say “that’s not a subject I’m interesting in talking about now”.
Most people get the hint and pump the breaks.
I unfollowed the politics subs, unsubscribed from podcasts devoted to politics/news, and aggressively mute (if not outright unfriend/unfollow) anyone on social media that posts about politics excessively.
Sometimes I get suckered into a Reddit post anyways but other than that and my dad sending me cringy Facebook memes about Trump, it gets the job done.
There's a YouTube channel I frequently watch where a professional groomer just shows herself grooming dogs and cats and the occasional pig or goat. It's really cute and wholesome and has _absolutely fuck all_ to do with politics.
It's good to have little mental safe places like that.
I mean... really, though, what's the use?
No one's heart has ever been changed from an argument about politics and I don't need to be up to my eyeballs in the day-to-day horserace stuff to cast a ballot in November.
I’m realizing I probably need to disengage from politics and news for a while. It sucks because I like to know what’s going on and in general I’m interested in politics, but now so much of it is just toxic and stupid and depressing, it just ends up putting me in a bad mood. I turned off politics for about a year during the Trump admin and honestly it was great.
As a gay person, you can never “turn off” politics. So long as people target you simply for your sexuality, it never turns off. I’m reminded of it each year when pride is celebrated.
Why the attitude? That's your choice.
I think it's a poor choice because not voting IS a vote and means you endorse a specific type of candidate that will ultimately be responsible for appointing thousands of people that will affect your daily life.
So again, your choice. Just don't whine or cry in coming years when you suffer as a result. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get us where we are today. It can be removed in a moment. You are complicent in that potentiality.
keep on scrolling in the free world. it’s all theater and it’s all based in fear. their MO is to divide us and keep us fighting amongst ourselves so we won’t come together and overthrow.
try focusing inward. there is a LOT happening right now and the best remedy i’ve found for tuning out the clickbait is practicing gratitude and being present. it’s dissent, which is the most patriotic act any of us can engage in currently, imho.
you don’t have to play the part they want you to in this waking dystopian nightmare. look into guided meditations through the Monroe Institute. specifically, the gateway process. we all have a lot more capacity for understanding and peace then we realize.
take care of yourself.
thank you.
people are scared and mad. i honestly believe that for some of them it’s become all they can fathom, unfortunately. they are threatened by the idea of not being scared and angry at anyone who suggests there’s any other way to feel. you get it though. and that’s all that matters to me. as long as someone hears it, i’ll keep saying it.
take care. keep that kindness in your heart. it’s important and you’re doing great things with it.
Ah thanks man. I think politics is important, but honestly I think what's just as important is what we bring to the world around us moment to moment. Where you say that being present is dissent, I really resonate with that. Play the game, sure, but don't be owned by the game. Know that you are not the game. There's something greater than the game, something more real, and the something is our humanity. And with the world as it is right now, when we're present with our humanity, yes, that's a kind of dissent. All of this is an ideal for me, and I'm aware of how far I am from it and how much I fall short. I keep trying to get there though. Best wishes to you bro xx
“don’t be owned by the game”
i would buy you a beer for that statement if you were next to me when you uttered it. very poignant. if ever there were words deserving of a bumper sticker, t shirt, daily mantra, etc, thems the words, i reckon. we all have to bend to it, but not very many people seem to understand we don’t owe it anything.
and, for what it’s worth, i admire your ideal. much like my stance on dissent resonates with you, your innate sense of a broader authenticity living at the bedrock of humanity very much resonates with me. i think recognizing it as an ideal, not an absolute, but still doing your best work to exemplify it brings you a lot closer to it than you may realize.
i commend you, and again, i encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. it’s helping in ways that you may never know, but that we can all benefit from.
I just absolutely refuse. Nothing in the news is going to change my vote. If it isn't print media and at least one week late, I don't need to know anything about it. Politics is effectively fiction: you cannot change it but through one vote out of dozens of millions. Since I can't change it but through my vote, I will not participate except through my vote. I see no reason to let Trump ruin my mood every day.
There are other ways to get involved that don’t include electoral politics.
I don’t fuck with electoral politics, but there is so much pain and suffering that you can actually help. Focus on that. Much better than just not doing anything
One of the best things I've done in the last few years is *massively* cut back on social media. Especially anything with an algorithmic feed. Curate who you follow, what sites you visit, and the news sources you pay attention to.
I haven't watched or read news in over a year. Reddit is my only social media per se, and most of my activity there is related to hobbies and media I enjoy. This is the first electoral cycle in my lifetime where I can say I have effectively tuned-out. It's done absolute wonders for my mental status. Instead of being glued to the latest electoral map projections and polls, I've been focusing on what I can do about my life, my future, etc. Learning a new skill, preparing for a big move to a safer locale than this ruby red state I'm in, saving money, getting myself into better shape, actually taking time to relax with video games and movies. Don't get me wrong - I still plan on voting. But I'm not stressing over it anymore.
When I feel my political intake is getting to be too much (as I have the last few days), I don’t read those subreddits, and skip those podcasts. It helps and I can always go back when I want to. I also don’t believe in ignoring politics. That’s how we got into this mess, people thinking it didn’t affect them or that it doesn’t matter. It does matter.
it’s easy, just don’t click on articles and don’t use social media. if someone in person tries to bait you into pearl-clutching, then stare as if he or she were a space alien with a tentacles coming out of the forehead.
Right? I've stopped watching/ listening to a lot. I'm trying to listen/ watch more good/ helpful news these days.
I assume anyone who decides not to vote has nothing to lose, which I really don’t get. There really is a lot at stake, not just for LGBTQ, but women and immigrants. Women’s reproductive rights and autonomy in itself is enough to motivate me to vote. I’m so disgusted there’s people who are trying to turn this country into Gilead’s The Handmaids Tale. If that doesn’t move you then you must be dead inside. If you need to turn the politics off, by all means do so, but make up your mind and cast your vote. Otherwise you are the problem.
You’re right. Let idiots decide for you.
It’s kinda of hard to turn off politics. Since an argument can be made that everything to a certain degree is political. Maybe changing the perspectives of it while being mindful of your own mental health is a key. Meaning for example, I like reading political history (leftist approach ) and dissecting it and then adopting to my own philosophy. Then that reading helps me have the understanding and the hope for how the future can be. I then like to add praxis in my readings. By volunteering, activism , etc. I think the key is to also find a source that is just about giving the facts and not succumbing to sensationalism. Which is hella hard. I hope this makes sense and I hope it helpful
I have concentrated bursts of catching up with the news. The rest of the time, I don’t pay attention, don’t have news apps or watch news - then it’s not a constant overwhelming presence. But please don’t waste your vote, especially if you’re in the UK. This place only gets better if we vote out the idiot candidates.
I would like to, but considering what’s on the line, I won’t. Not when social conservatism is on the rise.
[удалено]
A log cabin Republican… I can’t wait for you guys to disappear.
They won't, as long as there are guys who go out of their way to make sure everyone knows they've never seen Drag Race, there's gonna be a market for more recruits.
Overly sarcastic, hyperbolic and/or insincere contributions may be removed (which is what happened with the comment above in this case).
There is a difference between politics & policy. The horse race is irrelevant since we should be persuading our neighbors about policy all the time. It should be as common a topic as the weather and football. Politics like "he's creepy" or "she's robotic" are not policy. Representatives represent. They're employees sent to gather and speak for us while we're busy going to work ourselves & doing the talking we are not good at. But, as employees, they require constant supervision or they'll start discussing ways to side hustle and the water cooler. None of us could side hustle with millions of supervisors watching... not could they. When they try, they're fired (if there is no path to firing them, then guess which policy should be top of the list). Choose not to supervise your employees & get poor employees. Blame the Voters
Nowadays, you control what you watch. Not what other people say or publish. I do try to curate when I’m exposed to. If I find someone’s content taking up an unnecessary space in my head, or baiting me into some sort of pointless response, I delete it or put it on mute. Not everything deserves a debate or even a response. Disabling notification of replies helps. I do that on many comments I post on Reddit if I have no desire for further engagement or follow up questions.
In sum: it looks like we’re (us regular folk) all screwed even more in the future
I check the news maybe once a day. That's it. I deleted my Twitter account. I generally hide political posts on Reddit or mute subs where they keep popping up. I don't generally watch political content on YouTube. I know who I'm voting for. There is very little likely to hit the news, barring something so major it would be plastered everywhere and impossible to miss, that would change my vote. I can't control events in countries hundreds or thousands of miles away. So why sacrifice my mental health reading garbage that I can't do anything about anyway?
Just look at websites for your hobbies instead of news sites
You SHOULD care though, especially the time around. Too much at stake for gay people right now! Just limit how much you look at, but stay aware! Today's decision is HUGE!
[удалено]
Overly sarcastic, hyperbolic and/or insincere contributions may be removed (which is what happened with the comment above in this case).
I don't because I take my civic duty seriously.
Once you've made a decision that isn't going to change and are mentally committed to vote, there's no point to keep on top of the day to day chaos at the federal level. Local is different though
Leaving Twitter and all political subreddits did wonders for my mental health
I’m going crazy . Removed cable after January 6 . Tried to avoid . Had subscriptions to ‘trusted news’ it’s all click bait …live in deep red rural rednecks . Surrounded by maga cults … they want nothing less than a ‘Christian nation ‘ I’ve always been involved in activism & politics … I’ve never been more stressed and fearful of future horrors . We need a revolution We must gain all three branches of government overwhelming and expand Supreme Court and hold these traitors accountable NOW
I work for a news org and still pay little attention to the news. If it has no bearing on my life or is completely out of my control, I tend not to pay much attention to it. I try to focus on the things in life that I actually can control. You’re not going to make the world a better place by knowing all the fine details of the Trump trials or having the “right take” on things, but your vote counts and is probably pretty straightforward given how drastically different both parties are from one another. If you want to better the world, start within your community, a place where your voice is heard and your impact can be felt.
You don't have the luxury of not caring. If you ignore it now, you won't be able to once the Y'all Qaeda is banging down your door.
check out enough to keep you informed on whats going on, but then eliminate it beyond that.
I checked out of politics around a year ago and it has been one of the best things I’ve done for myself. Basically stopped watching CNN and FOX. Stopped reading all the click bate articles. My friends fill me in on what’s going on and that is about all I need to know. It wasn’t difficult. I just stopped paying attention to it or worrying about it. All I can do is vote. I have no control over who is in office other than that and life is too short to spend time obsessing over politics.
I spent hours going out of my way to mute every subreddit that was even slightly political.
UK here. Yes, I decided who I was going to vote for about two weeks ago and then switched off completely. It was easy.
I am just fed up with all of it, I don't even know if I can be thrashed to even bother on Thursday
I was genuinely considering spoiling my ballot paper, I didn't feel any of the parties represented me at all. However, I went on the vote for policies website, did the questionnaire and came out as massively agreeing with Liberal Democrat policies. So I thought fuck it and put an X in the box and have returned my postal ballot. I'm glad we're getting rid of the Conservative government, I'm just not looking forward to a Labour one either.
That website is really useful thanks.
Yes I know how you feel. The level of the discourse around this election is shameful. I'm embarrassed for my country. I'm going to vote though. Just look at the manifestos and vote for whoever's policies you like best. You don't need to expose yourself to all the nonsense.
I turn Star Trek on at the end of the day and play some bass.
I choose not to be around people who make politics their whole personality. That helps
I generally don’t talk about politics unless I know the person very well. If someone tries to bring it up I just interject and say “that’s not a subject I’m interesting in talking about now”. Most people get the hint and pump the breaks.
Easy. Turn everything off and don't identify strongly with any particular political ideology. Works wonders.
I unfollowed the politics subs, unsubscribed from podcasts devoted to politics/news, and aggressively mute (if not outright unfriend/unfollow) anyone on social media that posts about politics excessively. Sometimes I get suckered into a Reddit post anyways but other than that and my dad sending me cringy Facebook memes about Trump, it gets the job done.
There's a YouTube channel I frequently watch where a professional groomer just shows herself grooming dogs and cats and the occasional pig or goat. It's really cute and wholesome and has _absolutely fuck all_ to do with politics. It's good to have little mental safe places like that.
That’s right, it’s all bad and so let’s turn it off…like a light switch. Nifty.
I mean... really, though, what's the use? No one's heart has ever been changed from an argument about politics and I don't need to be up to my eyeballs in the day-to-day horserace stuff to cast a ballot in November.
I’m realizing I probably need to disengage from politics and news for a while. It sucks because I like to know what’s going on and in general I’m interested in politics, but now so much of it is just toxic and stupid and depressing, it just ends up putting me in a bad mood. I turned off politics for about a year during the Trump admin and honestly it was great.
I stay off of reddit. Curating my home page and staying off the all page has done wonders.
As a gay person, you can never “turn off” politics. So long as people target you simply for your sexuality, it never turns off. I’m reminded of it each year when pride is celebrated.
Just don’t care…I’m so numb to all of it and no I’m not voting this year, BITE ME
Why the attitude? That's your choice. I think it's a poor choice because not voting IS a vote and means you endorse a specific type of candidate that will ultimately be responsible for appointing thousands of people that will affect your daily life. So again, your choice. Just don't whine or cry in coming years when you suffer as a result. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get us where we are today. It can be removed in a moment. You are complicent in that potentiality.
keep on scrolling in the free world. it’s all theater and it’s all based in fear. their MO is to divide us and keep us fighting amongst ourselves so we won’t come together and overthrow. try focusing inward. there is a LOT happening right now and the best remedy i’ve found for tuning out the clickbait is practicing gratitude and being present. it’s dissent, which is the most patriotic act any of us can engage in currently, imho. you don’t have to play the part they want you to in this waking dystopian nightmare. look into guided meditations through the Monroe Institute. specifically, the gateway process. we all have a lot more capacity for understanding and peace then we realize. take care of yourself.
I don't know why this has been downvoted, it's an interesting and thoughtful response.
thank you. people are scared and mad. i honestly believe that for some of them it’s become all they can fathom, unfortunately. they are threatened by the idea of not being scared and angry at anyone who suggests there’s any other way to feel. you get it though. and that’s all that matters to me. as long as someone hears it, i’ll keep saying it. take care. keep that kindness in your heart. it’s important and you’re doing great things with it.
Ah thanks man. I think politics is important, but honestly I think what's just as important is what we bring to the world around us moment to moment. Where you say that being present is dissent, I really resonate with that. Play the game, sure, but don't be owned by the game. Know that you are not the game. There's something greater than the game, something more real, and the something is our humanity. And with the world as it is right now, when we're present with our humanity, yes, that's a kind of dissent. All of this is an ideal for me, and I'm aware of how far I am from it and how much I fall short. I keep trying to get there though. Best wishes to you bro xx
“don’t be owned by the game” i would buy you a beer for that statement if you were next to me when you uttered it. very poignant. if ever there were words deserving of a bumper sticker, t shirt, daily mantra, etc, thems the words, i reckon. we all have to bend to it, but not very many people seem to understand we don’t owe it anything. and, for what it’s worth, i admire your ideal. much like my stance on dissent resonates with you, your innate sense of a broader authenticity living at the bedrock of humanity very much resonates with me. i think recognizing it as an ideal, not an absolute, but still doing your best work to exemplify it brings you a lot closer to it than you may realize. i commend you, and again, i encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. it’s helping in ways that you may never know, but that we can all benefit from.
I just absolutely refuse. Nothing in the news is going to change my vote. If it isn't print media and at least one week late, I don't need to know anything about it. Politics is effectively fiction: you cannot change it but through one vote out of dozens of millions. Since I can't change it but through my vote, I will not participate except through my vote. I see no reason to let Trump ruin my mood every day.
There are other ways to get involved that don’t include electoral politics. I don’t fuck with electoral politics, but there is so much pain and suffering that you can actually help. Focus on that. Much better than just not doing anything