With Minnesota and the Twin Cities being in the spotlight on every news outlet and social media platform, it can be overwhelming to find ways to take care of ourselves amid the current events happening in our own backyard.
As someone who regularly consumes social media and reads news to keep up with local events, I have been recently taking small breaks from using social media to keep myself grounded during these uncertain times, which is a luxury many do not have.
While being aware of what is going on is a part of my job, I have been finding ways to keep myself grounded to prevent feeling burnt out from trying to be aware and find ways to help. Which is a feeling many are feeling close to. This is why taking care of ourselves emotionally, mentally and physically is equally important as helping those directly impacted in our communities.
For instance, in the last month, I have seen many artists of all mediums find ways to create art in protest of our current climate. It does not matter if you can only draw stick figures, have higher level skills or if your skill lies in written works. While I understand that not everyone has the space or energy to publicly show these skills, they still provide a way to process what is happening in our communities and what we are all experiencing. Art has a way of being both healing in a way and a way to express what we are unable to verbally express.
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Similarly, reading literature can also help keep us from going down the path of burnout. While there are a few books that many of us have been avoiding because they feel a little too close to home, like “The Hunger Games” series or any dystopian novel, outside of this specific genre, there are many books and comics that can provide a way to break up the monotony of the same videos with different viewpoints.
This can also be a way to read up about other ways to help besides protesting. While many of us would like to go out and protest, not everyone can do so for a multitude of reasons, be it safety or another reason.
You can also recharge by volunteering in the community. While this may not work for everyone, it is an option..Many organizations, community resources and mutual aid networks have holding donation drives not only for food but also for necessities to distribute to neighbors who may feel unsafe leaving their houses during this time. Many of these donation drives are also looking for volunteers. Even if you can’t volunteer, another way you can help is by visiting, or if feasible, supporting local businesses and restaurants that have been impacted during these times.
Lastly, while this has been said probably a million times, find ways to take breaks from social media. While not everyone has the luxury to take full breaks away, I think there is another way to rethink social media during this time. While we find much of what we have all seen is heavy, we can also find joy on social media.
A way of doing this could be finding light-hearted videos to balance out our feeds and algorithms. For example, I usually get a few compilations of funny animal videos or funny toddler compilation videos. While I understand that social media is a double-edged sword majority of the time, we can find ways to balance between posts that keep us aware while also providing us a small relief from current events, even if it is only for a few minutes.
While we can not know what is going to happen next, one other thing that has been keeping me grounded during these trying times is seeing how, over the last month, multiple communities, organizations and people have banded together not only in protesting what is currently happening but also in making sure that those affected and each other are doing okay.
So, regardless of whether you are out protesting, volunteering, or just trying to stay safe during current events, there are ways to keep the momentum going without running ourselves into the ground because that will help no one in the end. Just remember to take care of everyone; you must also take care of yourself.
