The World Is on Fire so Here’s How to Cope

[classical music playing offscreen]It is a dumpster fire out there right now, and it can feel like you won’t ever find a way to relax again. With the news cycle that was yesterday afternoon, people are still trying to catch up. Three indictments and a murder? It’s the 2018 version of Four Weddings and a Funeral but terrible and not at all what we want.

In order to give yourself a mental health break, we have some options for what to do when the news just gets too much. And with the way the world is heading these days, that could be very often.

First, go outside if you can. Wherever you live, there has to be some kind of open area that doesn’t require a cellphone or anything but a good book. Go there, lay on the ground or find a bench or traverse the pathways, and just breathe. It’s sad that we have to take mental health breaks to get through the insanity of this year, but it is our reality, and this is one surefire way to tune out for the noise of the constant news.

Second, put on a dumb movie or a TV show that isn’t too ponderous or reach for a book full of romance or robots or robots in love. I’m not saying you need to watch Michael Clayton or deep dive into Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I’m telling you to put on Nacho Libre and forget that real intellectual thought is a thing. Or just focus on figuring out how Dan Humprey is possibly the Gossip Girl when Carter Baizen was right there. Princess Weekes recently wrote about life-changing romance novels, which sounds pretty great right about now.

And third, hang out with the people you love and go drink wine if you’re an alcohol drinker, or a fine cup of tea otherwise. 2018 is the year of treating yourself to a drink because having to deal with the constant news cycle isn’t easy for everyone. We all need a glass or a steaming mug of calm at this point.

This the three-step approach I take to coping and disconnecting from our always-on, panic-mode culture for a little while. Tell us about your favorite ways to relax and tune out in the comments. And if you’ve read anything wonderful or watched or listened to something recently that made you forget about the world for a while, we’d love to hear about it.

(Image: FOX)

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