Staying Sane and Avoiding Burnout for the Next Four Years

The election of Donald Trump is behind us now, and liberals like me are facing a very long, difficult four years. To be honest, I think the Republicans in Congress are also facing a long, difficult four years too, but that is another story. They now have to deal with their very (ahem) unusual president. That’s their problem now.

Since the election, we on the opposing side have cried on each others shoulders, ranted to friends, and made a lot of donations in Mike Pence’s name. Now, the task before us is to keep up a vigorous opposition in the face of what lies ahead of us. There is much work to be done, and there exists the very real possibility that we will at some point succumb to  protest-fatigue. I offer the following as a blueprint for the next four years, so each of us can run this marathon without collapsing into a puddle on the side of the road.

First of all, define for yourself what issue or issues will be your focus. There are so many, and you may care about them all, but we all have jobs and lives and we cannot devote ourselves 24-7 to all causes.  What is YOUR thing? Racial justice? Women’s rights? Children’s issues?  LBGTQ rights? The environment? Fair districting? Jobs? Standing up to the alt-right? Education? International issues? Standing up for science?  Immigrants and refugees?  Being a watchdog on conflicts of interest? Wall Street regulation?

Pick one, or two at most. That’s your activist focus.  Yes, you care about them all. We all do, but remember, this is a marathon, and you need to pace yourself.  There are lots of us, and you aren’t the only one in the fight. So pick your most important issues, and leave something for the rest of us.

Now, what’s your mode of activism?  Are you in the streets carrying a sign? Marching? Rabble rousing? Good. We need folks like that who get really jazzed over making lots of noise. But not everyone is the march-in-the-streets type.  Maybe your mode is letter writing, or phone calls instead. That’s great. We need well-spoken writers and callers too.  Maybe you will be an activist with your dollars. If you can afford to donate to groups who advocate for your cause, that’s fantastic. Not everyone can afford to donate, and those of us who can should put our money where our mouth is. Maybe your mode is something else entirely.  Art,  maybe.  Or teaching about your issue. Or whatever.  Wonderful! We need you too.

So you’ve chosen your focus, and you’ve identified your mode of activism.  Now, you need a plan.  A sustainable plan.  A plan that you can stick with for the next four years. What can you do? First of all, commit to following any policy related to your cause. Commit yourself to a higher level of understanding than the average person. Educate yourself first about the nitty-gritty details of your issues. Join groups of like-minded people. Now, for your personal activism.

If you are the protesting type who lives in a city, and can take to the streets often, then maybe you can commit to engaging in peaceful protests on a regular basis.  Maybe you can commit to writing your representative once a week.  Maybe you can make a phone call to congress twice a month.  Maybe you can set aside money in your budget and commit to donating regularly.

The important point here is to make that plan and follow through consistently for the next four years, even when you aren’t in the mood. Even when you are tired. Even when there’s been a string of bad news. No matter what.  Keep that commitment.  If enough of us do that, we can keep the pressure on, keep our spirits up, and make progress toward our goals.

What won’t serve us is to flail around in an emotional state, only to burn out six months from now and go back to watching cat videos on Instagram.  It won’t help anyone if we make lots of noise on inauguration day only to sit out the midterm elections. It won’t help our cause if we only do the fun stuff (rallies with like minded folks) while ignoring the very un-sexy but extremely important redistricting process that will happen in 2020 after the census.

We must be strategic. We must be smart. We must manage our energy and our focus. We must not be overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. We must be responsible for doing our part while not becoming bogged down by trying to do too much. We must also support one another, and not turn on each other. We must run the marathon that is the next four years.  Start stretching and warming up, people. We’ve got a long road ahead.