Margaret Sullivan, Guardian ; Welcome to a new ‘gloomcycle’ of news. Here’s how to stop compulsive scrolling
"I’m certainly not a life coach but as someone whose work requires me to stay connected and informed, I’ve developed some coping resources.
Here are three recommendations to manage the firehose of bad news and to protect your spiritual and emotional health while still staying engaged in the world.
Set thoughtful limits...
Engage in self-care.
Rely on trusted voices and sources of news."
Allie Volpe , Vox; Your guide to coping with election anxiety
"Feeling jittery and unsettled about the upcoming election? If you’re anything like the 69 percent of American adults who said the 2024 presidential election was a “significant” source of stress in their lives, per this year’s American Psychological Association’s Stress in America poll, you’re not alone.
Elections are common wellsprings of anxiety because they’re rife with uncertainty, says David H. Rosmarin, the founder of the Center for Anxiety. You’re unsure of the outcome, and unsure of what life may look like for you under a new administration, especially when the difference between the two choices is undeniably vast. Some of the proposed policies may threaten people’s safety and freedoms, resulting in even more anxiety. Research shows political anxiety can impact people who aren’t generally anxious otherwise.
There are key differences between everyday anxiety and election-related anxiety. Sometimes, generalized anxiety is rooted in cognitive distortions, or inaccurate beliefs or fears about the world. But election-based distress isn’t necessarily based on hypotheticals or overreactions, says licensed clinical social worker Jneé Hill. “A lot of the concerns,” she says, “are very real and very valid based on people’s real lives and lived experiences.”
While election anxiety may feel large and existential, mental health experts agree it can be managed. In the lead-up to November 5 — and the uneasy days following — there are some strategies that can help quiet your mind."
Meredith Schwartz , Library Journal ; The Restorative Library | Editorial
"Providing rest and rejuvenation in hard times
So my wish for you, your colleagues, and your patrons today is that you make rest and respite an explicit priority in planning for your library, as well as addressing safety for patrons and staff. Can you host a nap pod in your academic library, as the University of Michigan and Wesleyan University did? Can you offer your employees an app that helps with stress and sleep, as Ozy Aloziem did at Denver Public Library? Can you bring therapy bunnies to visit, as the American Library Association did at its most recent conference? Nothing brings the blood pressure down like petting a chill tribble with a pink nose. And despite my example of self–guilt tripping above, offering yoga and meditation programs may help some patrons and staff too...
It’s important to recognize, and to acknowledge, that short-term spirit lifters are not a substitute for needed structural change. No one who doesn’t make a living wage is going to respond well to attempts to placate them with a pizza party instead of a raise. But that’s not to say that little pleasures have no role to play. Structural change is a long hard slog. Fun and rest along the way can contribute to maintaining energy and momentum, rather than distracting from it. And they can help build a supportive community in which each individual knows they can take a rest when they need it, while trusting that the whole will keep moving forward together."
