Well Being Magazine

How to Survive the 2020 Presidential Campaign (without losing your religion)

Wasn’t it just last November when we had the 2018 mid-term elections? So why are we already waist-deep in the 2020 campaign for goodness sake? I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine another eighteen months of political ads, party pundits and startling revelations. It’s just too much. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it is going to take to get me through it and I’ve hatched a plan that just might work. It’s a list of activities designed to help a person stay centered on what is important. (Full disclosure, I haven’t tried them yet, so no guarantees.)

1. Pray (or meditate, depending on your religious persuasion).
2. Spend more time in nature (every day if weather and your schedule permit).
3. Keep a journal and write about any and everything (except politics).
4. Have a picnic and make s’mores.
5. Introduce yourself to somebody you don’t know from work, the neighborhood, civic club or faith community.
6. Try to do one simple act of kindness every day (even if it’s just smiling at a stranger).
7. Volunteer for a non-profit or charitable organization.
8. Take up a new hobby or rekindle your passion for an old one.
9. Start a garden (even a few pots on the patio or balcony counts).
10. Adopt a pet.
11. Go camping
12. Read a good book.
13. Unplug at least two hours a day (not including when you are supposed to be asleep). No phones, texts, tweets, emails, etc.
14. Practice deep breathing.
15. Have a meal with an old friend (sans political discussions).
16. Walk around the block.
17. Stargaze
18. Go fishing.

In case you didn’t notice, most of my list of activities qualifies as healthy distractions for the mind and soul, designed to help occupy time and thought with more positive pursuits, and an emphasis on what one can do and not what feels out of control.

The irony is that we all have important roles to play in selecting our next group of leaders to guide the direction of this country, but that responsibility shouldn’t consume us. While it’s important to get enough information to make informed decisions, we don’t have to be captives of the 24-hour news-cycle. We do our patriotic duty when we cast our vote. Then, as it says on the back of the shampoo bottle, rinse and repeat. We start all over again. With a lot of faith and a little luck, the earth will keep turning, and we’ll come out of the exercise with our souls intact.

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