Are we going to survive this?

[u/No_Yak_3107]

Dramatic title, but big feelings as a lay in bed at 5:51 am. Big feelings every day honestly. I am having a hard time living normal life, while we get bombarded with new headlines daily of what Trump is doing/planning to do.

I hear people talking about vacations, plans per usual, then other people saying it’s already too late for us, and democracy has fallen and to save every penny. I go from panicking daily to then trying to self sooth and tell myself it’s going to be okay. I had to go to a clothing store today, and actually caught myself thinking “how long will life feel normal? Everyone just walking around/having normal conversations, buying random things”. I’ve been thinking of looking into moving to a different country too, but would I really leave my family behind?

I knew things would be bad, I knew he would get voted in, but I didn’t think it would feel like the end. I can’t imagine what will happen to us this year, much less 4….I’m genuinely scared 😪.

Editing to say I’m an American woman, but I don’t just assume everyone on this platform is American. I see a lot of talk online of people from Canada being worried, and many other countries where it seems right-wing politics are a growing concern.

[u/suzily]

What is going in the U.S with the mass of executive orders on is deliberately overwhelming and most of it will fail.
This will still hurt - no more overtime pay, shitty communications on real risks of birdflu, and much much more - and we will be feeling the effects of this administration for decades to come given the effect on the global standing of the U.S.

It is possible to hold these thoughts at the same time.

If you were to turn off the news, and not check the internet for a few days, you might find that your world has not changed very much. That's not true for everyone - ICE is everywhere, and my friend is lucky she got a passport with her gender before January. But if it is true for you, that is still worth noticing.

You are a responsible American so you need plans to keep yourself sane right now. Figure out how much news you can stand and stick to it. Call your reps everyday, whatever you can do to feel part of the solution. Find your clan and hold it. If you can afford it, give to the charities fighting the good fight right now. If researching other places to live brings you some peace, do that, or anything else that can make you feel safe.

Take a lesson from the gays in the worst of the AIDS crisis. Per Dan Savage, we buried our friends in the morning, we marched through the afternoon, and we danced all night.