Hi all, I just had to answer this question tonight regarding my political blog below. It’s from Michele and it’s a good one:
Julie, thanks for this. I thought that it was just me. I am seemingly unable to turn it all off, because the news media seems to be saturated with coverage. It has been especially challenging because I am a middle aged woman of color and find myself taking what’s being said personally. All of this makes me feel very, very foolish. Do you have suggestions for limiting exposure and/or changing thought processes in order to get through the next couple of months?
Hi Michele,
I’m practically spinning into butter over all of this. I am calmer today and then I turned on the radio. Then I turned it off. First of all- you are not foolish. If you think about it- it’s wonderful that it matters to so many people. but I am just as upset as you are.
But… we will be foolish if we let our own stress and worry go on for two more months. I’ve learned that I have to walk away from many things when it comes to bipolar disorder. I didn’t own a television for many, many years. Even now, I don’t watch the news at all.
This is different though- our political life in the US has gotten quite ugly over the years. Earlier this week, I was ready to join a campaign and get out there and get people registered. Then, when it caused me sleep problems, I said to myself, “Julie. You speak at a conference next week. You have a book chapter due. And… you have bipolar disorder. This is a trigger and it has to end.”
Here is what I did;
- I told my friends I couldn’t talk about it too much
- I stopped reading the links friends are sending- well, at least most of them!
- I do not actively seek news on the internet.
- I turn on sports radio when NPR stresses me out!
* I then did something I have never done- I went online to my candidate of choice and made a donation. Even if you only give $5 to your candidate, you can make a difference.
I can’t be in politics. I can’t make a difference in what I would consider an important way- but I can vote and donate to causes that support my beliefs.
Whew, I truly want to be non partisan here as this is a bipolar blog- but no matter what, if this is upsetting both of us, then it’s upsetting many of the thousands who read this blog. We all can sit down- examine our reactions- see if they are causing problems and then make enough changes so that we can make a difference, but we can take care of ourselves as well.
Thanks for writing! I hope this helps.
Julie
