If you've ever wished you could throat-punch a son-of-a-bitch through your computer screen, you're not alone. Politics can boil our blood faster than a Carolina Reaper.
Work, relationships and family feuds are what we focus on the most, but political stress is just as debilitating.
Freethinkers are at risk of being absorbed into extremely toxic political stress. The madness of crowds leaves us lonely and isolated. It is important to keep it in check and manage political stress appropriately, otherwise it can be detrimental to our health.
Libertarians and freethinkers care deeply about social and political issues and take them very seriously; war, disease, police brutality, corruption, racism, government overreach, tyranny, gun confiscation, travel bans, forced vaccinations, to name a few.
These issues consume us the more we engage.
If it is stressing you out try these things to help you cope:
Take a Break from Listening to the News
Especially during the pandemic in 2020, many people stayed glued to the television and radio, awaiting current information about covid-19. If you haven't noticed, the news is a shitshow. Fear, paranoia, anger, distrust, hatred; these are all things the media preys upon. The entire industry revolves around getting you to react. The more negative your reaction, the better it is for them.
Others spent hours researching independent journals and doctors and talking heads. The uncertainty of not knowing what is accurate and not knowing who you can trust can cause a lot of anxiety and frustration too.
While it is critical to stay informed, we must unplug for our own sanity. Turn that shit off and give yourself a break.
Take a Break from Arguing with Others Online
Online debate sucks us in, and sometimes it is just downright obnoxious. Libertarians simply refuse to lose arguments. We will stay in a debate all night long to make sure the lowly plebeians see reason.
While it can be entertaining, it can also have negative physical and emotional consequences for your health. Having your neck bent downward reading a phone all the time can give you tech neck. Also, being agitated and angry from an online debate can really affect your sleep, especially if it causes you to stay up late.
You can take a break from arguing with people online. It's okay. There are others out there who will pick up the slack when you feel it is consuming far too much of your valuable time.
It is not worth your health to get too subsumed in online political debate. There is nothing wrong with walking away and decompressing for a while.
Don't Read Through Social Media Before Bed
Scrolling mindlessly through social media can be especially harmful to sleep. Controversial material that we agree with can disrupt our sleep patterns just as much as content we disagree with.
Stimulating material, whether it is political or not, can cause us to be more resistant to sleep. The political content will surely take its toll on us libertarians.
Reserve a little time earlier in the day to interact with social media and give yourself a good cut off time.
Try Meditation and Self Reflection
Another good recommendation is to practice diaphragmatic breathing and meditation. These techniques will help you profoundly. Through meditation, you can deeply reflect on what matters most in your life. Are these problems worth the trouble? Are the people who are causing you stress worth it? Are subjects they are talking about worth spending a lot of time on? Could you be doing something more important instead? Breathing and relaxation techniques provoke clarity and calmness.
Increase Your Knowledge
We need to take a break from political debating if it's causing stress, especially if the conversations aren't beneficial to either party. It's possible we don't know as much as we thought we did. This is called The Illusion of Knowledge. Seek out authors, scientists, and philosophers who can offer new insights on the political issues you have been stumped on. It is okay to not have all the answers. Increasing our knowledge will help us avoid stressful paradoxes and “unsolvable riddles.”
Knowledge is power.
Follow the Tips in Our 9 Habits of Highly Effective Libertarians
Check out our much more in-depth 9 Habits of Highly Effective Libertarians to get a more complete guide of stress managing tips.
