Let's do something
Let's do something
A few antidotes to climate and election anxiety.
When my son arrived home the other day I still had work to find, so he needed to entertain himself until I could take him to the park. When he asked if he could turn a bubble envelope, duct tape, and an old magazine into a “camping pillow,” I, of course, said yes. When I got done, I saw that he’d torn this page from a magazine and magnetic it to our fridge:
It’s no surprise that my kid was inspired to save this particular image (our household talks a lot about being good citizens and stewards of this beautiful planet), but I was caught off guard when he said, “It’s kind of scary the way they drew it like that in the hourglass.” I looked away and tried not to show him that I too am scared.
The last two weeks have been terrifying, watching the images from Hurricane Helene. Feeling from afar the palpable fear as a veteran meteorologist choking up on air. Bracing ourselves to discover what destruction Milton has wrought. I have cried a tiny bit dozens of times reading the news, listening to the radio, seeing more reports of the horrors of wars abroad. I started reading a book, which had been recommended to me as a practical guide to mutual aid, but I had to stop reading when the introduction dealt too specifically with the climate-related horrors we can expect in our lifetimes. (If anyone has a more palatable book to suggest, I’m all ears.)
But what has scared me more in the aftermath of Helene we’re seeing how deep the world of disinformation runs. Among the many mistruths rumors currently circulating on the Right are that Milton and Helene were the result of “weather manipulation” by Democrats—a sitting Congresswoman helped to spread them. It’s unbelievable. The election looms over it all.
What’s a panic-stricken mom to do? I found I didn’t have the heart to send you the design-focused email I had drafted for today. I don’t have any perfect answers, but as that U.N. magazine ad that my son posted to our fridge tells us: Climate action can’t wait. So, I’m sharing a few ideas:
Take care of yourself
Get to bed early, eat in a way that feels nutritious to you, and find time to move. In my experience, the headlines are easier to take when you aren’t running on empty. (It’s no coincidence that I’m particularly worried during a week that I’m a little bit sick with many work deadlines, and a spouse out of town.) I took a run for the first time yesterday and it made a world of difference in my anxiety levels. Is this a climate action? Yes, it is, if it helps you feel strong enough to take action.
An invitation to do something
I’m writing letters to voters with Vote Forward to help increase voter turnout, and I’m inviting Living Small readers to write with me. It’s simple, impactful, and you can do it from home. You’ll need a printer, envelopes, and stamps to help get out the vote. Spending 30 minutes or an hour doing something—anything—to help get sensible people elected feels good. I’m roping my book club into letter writing next week, and inviting neighborhood friends over for coffee, pastries, and more in-person letter-writing. (If you’re reading this and in Jackson Heights, email me if you’d like to join.)
Okay, can you do a little more?
I also signed up to canvas on Sunday. I’m embarrassed to admit I haven't knocked doors since 2018. Yes, I’d rather spend the day relaxing, but there are a couple House races near-ish to the city that I believe are winnable and I want to know I tried to help make it happen. If you’ve never done it before, I encourage you to try. Vote Save America has a comprehensive directory of canvassing and phone banking opportunities. Remember, all the races are important right down to you town council members.
Learn about your ballot measures
Depending on where you live, there may be ballot measures on the back of your ballot. If you’ve ever arrived to vote not knowing what will be there, the dense prose style the fine people at the Board of Elections use (or whomever writes these) can make easy-to-decide-upon ideas feel like a trick questions. The League of Women Voters Vote411 will show you what’s on your ballot in advance through this handy form. I discovered there will be six(!) ballot measures for my address.
What about you? What are you doing to feel like you’re helping move forward in your community right now? Comment to share.
Make or mend something
It sounds funny, but a small act of real-world doing like, making muffins, baking bread, or patching a hole in a pair of pants can make me feel better when my big-picture anxieties. When your mind is doom spiraling, I recommend finding something to do with your hands that will give you a little ping of accomplishment.
Turn off the news–at least temporarily
I’m not suggesting you put your head in the sand, but deleting social media and news apps for part of each day or the whole weekend can give your mind a rest from all the alarming things that are happening. I find the disconnect between images of war and pretty living rooms in my social feed to be particularly hard for my mind to handle, but even the home page of The New York Times where news of war and disaster share space with “Amazon Prime Deals” can be so dizzyingly dissonant. This goes back to my first suggestion to take care of yourself. We have 26 days left until the election: It’s so important to save our mental energy to do the work.
Let’s do something!
Related reading from the archive:
3 pieces of good news
New York City has (mostly) completed the Living Breakwaters climate resilience project by SCAPE Studio (oyster seeding still in the works). Considered a model for climate-adaptive, nature-based infrastructure, this was conceived after Hurricane Sandy. We need more of this type of project.
The U.K. has closed its last coal plant. And in more hopeful news, here in the U.S. there’s a movement to build solar fields around decommissioned coal plants because the infrastructure is already there to get the power out onto the grid.
In a recent newsletter @bill mckibben wrote about how, “Solar panels are suddenly sprouting, as if by magic, precisely where they’re needed most,” as the technology gets cheaper (about 10% cheaper each year). And “indoor” solar might become a thing too!
One last thing: Caterpillar camouflage–wow!
I created a list of all the great books readers are sharing in comments and emails, so I don't forget them. (I maxed out my Libby requests! ) Keep 'em coming guys.
https://bookshop.org/lists/recommended-by-living-small-readers
I relate to all of this completely! I too dusted off my canvassing shoes, although it had been much longer since I had knocked on doors. I wrote a few letters to swing states, but I’m now passionately writing letters for Vote Forward’s Missouri campaign for reproductive rights. Although I moved away, I was born and raised in Missouri and my family goes back many generations there. It will always feel like home to me. It’s so easy to give up on the “red” states, but when you really look at the numbers, all states are purple. In the last poll I saw, 41% of voters in MO were planning to vote blue. Obviously, that isn’t enough people to win an election right now, but it is a powerful force. Remembering that always helps me keep going!