LESS NEWS, LESS STRESS
But don't be fooled, I know what's going on.
I must admit, I'm calmer than ever. Am I only saying this? Nope. I have nothing to gain by lying. I mean, be honest, you--news junkie--when was the last time you heard any good news? Meghan Markle's engagement to Prince Harry doesn't count!
This is not a post to deter you from listening to or reading the news. But be cautious. Before President Trump announced his candidacy, I would wake up, have my coffee and check out the op-ed and editorial pages of the NY Times. I would get a bit riled up after reading certain things; i.e. humanitarian pieces by Nicholas Kristof and how stupid the GOP is when it comes to economics via Paul Krugman. Sentimental pieces always got to me. I couldn't visit and help people in other countries, but I was able to stay on track and donate what I could.
Have I donated this year? Maybe once. And I feel like crap. I've blocked all the silliness and hatred of this year, and with it, I ended up blocking the stuff that made me human. When was the last time I read anything from Nicholas Kristof? I follow him on Twitter, but my Twitter feed is filled with everyone being political and one-sided, so after 15 minutes or so, I'm exhausted. People can't find common ground with each other anymore. And they hate each other.
But there's an upside to all of this. If it hadn't been for all the nastiness, we might never have had the #MeToo movement. More and more people are coming forward to expose those who have preyed on them in the past--and I think it's because of the President. He has become the ultimate villain, pushing some of us to become better and braver versions of ourselves--while others roll around in all the lies he spews, becoming angry versions of themselves.
Lastly, I know that I'm not the only one who has tuned out the news. I can feel it. I know I'm not the only one who's freaking happy and stress-free every day (mostly--after all, I have school and a personal life) but mostly, and I can honestly say it's because I'm not a news junkie anymore. Judge me if you want, but it feels soooooooooooooooooooooooooo awesome not to be angry all the time.
