Feeling Political Fatigue and Pandemic Burnout?
By: Rachel Steinman
Tags: Pandemic, Mental Health, Election 2020, Hope, Activism

I don’t know about you but I have PTSD from the last election. What I thought was going to happen didn’t. The political world as I knew it turned upside down with a shocking news cycle that has not let up. The comorbidity from the anxiety and stress due to the Coronavirus adds a whole other complicated layer. Record wildfires and hurricanes are in the news cycle. Reports of Election Day fears of outbreaks of violence are resulting in people stocking up on canned goods, toilet paper, and other basic supplies. Fears of a Civil War breaking out in our streets has resulted in an increase in gun sales and many to first-time gun owners. It’s no wonder we are all on edge.

Family infighting and friends and coworkers have severed relationships over political views that get further divided by Facebook and Twitter. Loyal viewers to cable outlets like Fox News compared to CNN or MSNBC feel as though they’re living in alternate universes. People of color and their white allies are bewildered that not everyone is condemning white supremacy or neo-nazism. America is a country founded by immigrants and yet not all of its diverse citizens receive equal justice. The pandemic continues to make things worse and highlights the vast inequities.

According to an ongoing weekly poll of 900,000 Americans conducted by the Census Bureau, 35% of Americans currently meet the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder. The cases have quadrupled since COVID19 became a household name, forcing us to social distance and many to lose their jobs and even worse, their loved ones. We’re fatigued with restrictions put on us, worried and restless that our kids aren’t back in school, and saddened we can’t see our older relatives. Businesses are closing and more and more people need help to support their families' basic needs. We don’t want to cancel Thanksgiving and our winter holiday plans with our loved ones and yet it’s the responsible thing to do not just for our health but for the good of mankind as we’re warned it’s about to be a very dark winter.

The good news is there are antidotes to counteract the actual and the perceived doom and gloom because so much of moving forward is still in our control.

Three Antidotes to Fight Political Fatigue Syndrome and Pandemic Burnout:

1. Hope

*hope- /hōp/ (noun)- a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

My best friend, who I consider an intuitive because her predictions are almost always spot on, tells me the last Mercury Retrograde of 2020 ends on Election Day. She says we’re moving into Scorpio season, an intense sign that will bring transformation and regeneration. All I know is I’m hoping the time we are entering is a rebirth for positive change on a global scale.

Hope is what gets us up in the morning and it’s what keeps us going. In any form, hope is powerful. My faith in hope is solidified when I see small acts like people waiting in lines for eleven hours and not giving up because they see the importance of voting. I see signs of hope when complete strangers offer to drive seniors or those without transportation to the polls, bring pizza to those waiting in long lines, and offer daycare to watch their kids. I see signs of hope from all the early voting. Whereas in the past, many people may have sat this one out, they are finally realizing what a privilege their right to vote is and are either voting for the first time in their life or at least the first time in a very long time.

One of the most hopeful quotes I can think of comes from Martin Luther King, who famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” It encourages us to never give up hope and that our collective voice is exponentially louder. With more people shining a light on the darkness, our kids and many who never really paid attention to politics or the news cycle before are able to see the importance of getting involved. This increased awareness of local and federal government means a broader representation to help the masses rather than a few constituents.

It’s so heartening to see so many young women leaders getting involved and handling complex situations expertly. Our kids now have wonderful female role models, like Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor who is very popular thanks to her handling of the coronavirus and her country’s strong economy. Many of us have considered moving to New Zealand after watching Jacinda Arden, the Prime Minister who, as a brand new mother, crushed the Coronavirus. The way she dealt with the Christchurch mosque shootings by calling it terrorism while swiftly implementing gun control was a masterful example of strength and leadership.

Stories about humanity at its best are beacons of hope illuminating that there is more good than bad in our human race. To increase your hopefulness and all-around positive attitude, instead of doom scrolling, actively unfollow people who are negative and make you feel terrible. That’s not to say get rid of people who have differing views because we need to continue to be open-minded. Consume more inspirational and uplifting stories, like Instagram accounts such as Good News Movement, Positively Present, and Humans of New York. I can’t forget my all-time favorite Instagram account, The Dodo where there are so many wonderful animal rescue stories to make you smile.

We’re all aware the Coronavirus case numbers are going up but don’t lose hope. We’ve learned so much since the pandemic hit. We have therapeutics like Remdesivir. The death rate is not rising as rapidly as it once did. A vaccine is on the horizon. Wearing masks, washing hands, and properly socially distancing is proven to prevent the spread and it’s within our control. It’s up to us to choose precautions over short-sided behaviors. It’s also up to us to choose decency over unfairness and hope over fear.

2. Action

*action- /ˈakSH(ə)n/ (noun)- the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.

Taking action creates a positive cycle that helps get you closer to your goals to create the life you desire. If you take action politically, it helps you create the community and on a broader scale, the country you want to live in. So many selfless men and women are committing to help not just themselves but their fellow citizens achieve a happy and healthy life. They are stepping forward to advocate and change policies to rid unfairness and replace it with what is best for the majority to prosper.

More and more people are realizing we are in fact not just stronger together but so much better off when we are united. Once you are able to get over the fear of “the other” and see a commonality in the human race, it’s undeniable how diversity strengthens and adds value. Think of it like a food court with American fast food that only has hamburgers and fried chicken. Wouldn’t you prefer to have access to additional offerings, like Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, and Greek food? Variety is not only the spice of life and expands our palates, it also expands our views on the world and makes life that much richer.

When we take action to support the poor and our hard-working middle class, our collective economy and the overall health of our country is better off and stronger for all. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” the slogan John F. Kennedy made famous, is the perfect metaphor for the need for our government to lift everyone up. A divided country being fed scare tactics about scarcity instead of assurance there is and can be abundance for all, will undoubtedly be lopsided and sink like a boat with one end filling with water.

It’s fabulous to see how the last four years have turned our youth into informed advocates. My then 14 and 11-year-old daughters who are now 18 and 15 have accompanied me, their mom to Women’s Marches. My oldest daughter has attended Black Lives Matter Marches and Briona Taylor protests on her own. When I was their age, I had no desire to watch a Vice Presidential debate and yet my girls stopped everything they were doing to come and join me on the couch to watch. They’ve phone banked and postcarded, aware that teens like them, like the phenomenal Swedish teen activist, Greta Thunberg, and the gun violence activist, Emma Gonzalez use their powerful voices to truly make a difference.

My daughters and their cousin at the Women’s March 2017, Los Angeles

My daughters are part of the youngest generation to vote, Gen Zers, people born after 1996. According to Pew Research, one-in-ten eligible voters in the 2020 electorate will be part of Generation Z. They were to inherit a very strong economy until COVID came and changed the foreseeable future making the job market feel very uncertain. Their political clout will continue to grow steadily in the coming years, as more and more of them reach the voting age.

Gen Z welcomes change and is more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation. They are on track to be the most well-educated generation; digital natives who have little or no memory of the world as it existed before smartphones, growing up with access to information at their fingertips. They are more open-minded and accepting when it comes to gay marriage and gender fluidity. As a mental health advocate, I must point out the worrisome fact that their anxiety and suicide rates are higher, likely from the firehose of information and social media coming at them at all times. Add the fact that our teens and young adults are currently being asked to not go to school, have parties, and let off steam, and fuel is added to the fire.

Our youth are resourceful and resilient. I have to believe this pandemic will make them stronger and more appreciative of their relationships when all is said and done. Their disciplined, organized, and informed activism mindset on political issues combined with their use of technology will continue to strengthen their voice in movements they believe in like March for Our Lives on gun safety or the Sunrise Movement mobilizing on climate change

It may feel counterintuitive but rest is productive when it comes to action. Take some time to step back, breathe, relax, and shut the news, social media apps, and firehose off. When you’re ready to get informed and do your due diligence, consider limiting the time to a minimum and try reading news sources not from America like the BBC which has less of a stake and is unbiased.

When it comes to the Coronavirus, you don’t have to be a passive bystander. Take action by believing in science and listening to the top infectious disease doctors like Dr. Fauci. If we all follow public health measures, we can flatten the curve and get more schools and businesses to open until a vaccine is widely distributed.

3. Gratitude

*gratitude- /ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/ (noun)- the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Freedom is like our health because both can be taken for granted until it is taken away. The pandemic and political strife threaten what we treasure and are most grateful for. Maybe we needed this jarring shake to wake up to a new reality with big open eyes in order to view what’s important. Finding the silver linings and discovering the lessons to be learned after difficult periods is the key to gratitude.

When we were asked to social distance back in March, I published an article called 15 Silver Linings to Manage Anxiety During the Pandemic. Eight months later, almost everything holds true like the gratitude we continue to feel towards the incredible essential workers, doctors, nurses, and scientists heroically dedicating themselves to our public health.

When we count our blessings we feel better. I’m grateful for the added time this pandemic has given me to spend with my teenage daughters. I don’t take for granted the extra meals and conversations I’m having with my social high school freshman who would normally be at her friends' houses and with my high school senior before she goes off to college. Of course, my complaint list is long for all our kids who are missing out on so much or for my aging parents who can’t hug their grandchildren. It’s healthy to acknowledge our disappointment but afterward let it go and replace it with the powerful antidotes- hope, action, and gratitude.

While some may want to make America Great Again and others want to Build Back Better, we can and need to find common ground. I’m grateful we can all agree on the love for our country and the reason we will continue to fight for the stars and stripes. Patriotism can and should unite us. America is flawed but we still have a model democratic political system with built-in checks and balances that have undoubtedly been tested over the last four years. The US Constitution is hardly perfect but I’m grateful it’s a living document whose cracks and flaws are meant to be debated and adapted to new circumstances. We can all be grateful for progress even if sometimes it feels like two steps forward and one step back. Don’t forget, even baby steps move us forward.

The American Way, the American Dream, and our American Exceptionalism are ideals we will never give up on. We stand on the shoulders of people who came before us and we will continue to fight for a better future for those who come after us. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.