It has only been three days since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States and his low approval rating of just 37% combined with a low turnout for inauguration proves that he is an immensely unpopular compared to past Presidents. President Trump and the galvanization he has caused among congressional Republicans and a new wave of Neo-Nazis, conservative Evangelicals, and an otherwise uninformed slough of Americans understandably concerns people at best and terrifies people at worst.
Thankfully, we live in a country that — at least at the moment — gives its citizens the freedom to create a platform for themselves and become active with the political world without having to hold office; there are so many things we can do to keep our country heading towards a place of love, mercy, justice, and inclusion when we otherwise feel powerless. Here are five things you can start doing now to make a difference.
1. Know Your Representatives In Congress
All it takes is a quick Google search or quick visit to your state government website. Knowing who your representatives are can give you way more power than you realize. Just recently, the major backlash from the Republican effort to gut the nonpartisan independent watchdog group that was created in response to past Republican ethical violations caused the Republicans to backpedal due to the bad press.
You can usually email or call your representatives, but some may also have social media accounts on Facebook or Twitter as well. If contacting a government official so directly gives you anxiety like it does me sometimes, you can also use a website or app called Countable that updates you on news in the US Congress and allows you to "endorse" different bills coming up. Once you've endorsed it, your endorsement is automatically sent to your representatives and you can even send a comment that explains why you feel the way you do.
Do not let your anxiety get in the way of voicing your opinion! After all, a silent public is incredibly easy to take advantage of it.
2. Use Social Media Purposefully
If you have access to a large social media platform, now is the time to use it intensively and with purpose. Highlighting local, regional, and national issues important to you can help spread information and also help gain support for things that would otherwise fall in between the cracks in a world consumed with memes, celebrity rumors, and fake news.
If you aren't able to make original posts, share other people's posts or news articles. This is a great way to not only be an active public but an informed public.
3. Actively Read, Listen, & Watch The News
We really need to do a better job at keeping ourselves informed and aware of what is happening in our country. The best way to do this is to download a news aggregator or RSS feed like Apple News, Google Play Newsstand, Flipboard, or Feedly.
When picking your sources, there's a general precedence for what you need to pay the most attention to as far as what is reputable news. Nationally renowned print publications like the New York Times and Washington Post top this list; then online editorial sites and magazines like Vox, The Atlantic, and Newsweek; then major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC; then the major news networks like MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News (be wary of these: MSNBC can have a partisan tint that makes it difficult to extend beyond political bubbles, CNN can tend to be sensationalist with the topics it covers and the pundits they feature, and Fox News has developed a reputation for not keeping with appropriate journalistic standards); and then finally you have more cultural and lifestyle publications such as The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and New York Magazine.
Try to avoid "news" sources like the DailyKos, Media Matters, and Breitbart that openly cater to a particular political ideology, even if it's to your ideology.
4. Get Involved
Try to get involved with a local activist or advocacy group. Whether it's a political party, civil rights, queer rights, or women's rights group, getting involved with a group to fight for a cause is always a great idea.
A great resource for finding a group near you is, of course, Google, but you can also find a group via your University, church, or through Indivisible, a website created by former congressional staffers that provides a guide on how to become active in this new age. Indivisible also links and locates groups near your location, even giving you the option to create your own group of like-minded people!
5. Stay Healthy
This is the most important because you can't do anything for anyone if you don't take care of yourself. Make sure that every day you shower, eat, and talk to others and don't go past your limits if it's going to cause damage to you. There will be stressful times ahead, so, if you have a psychiatrist or other health professional available to help you maintain your mental standing, keep them informed of your plans so they can give you an idea of how much you can do without it detracting from your health.
While political demonstrations send a message, don't do anything that will get you incarcerated if you don't have the mental, emotional, or financial capacity to withstand that pressure. If the news is giving you large amounts of anxiety, it's okay to turn off the TV, turn off your phone, and unplug for a bit. Everybody needs a break every now and then.
There will be turbulent and difficult times for the next four years, but remember that you won't be alone in your hopes, fears, anger, and tears. There are others, myself included, who understand the pain and the devaluation you're feeling. You are worth far more than what one man says you are, no matter what some title he won narrowly implies. There are people who love and care about you both walking alongside you as well as fighting on the front lines for you. It's okay to be concerned, but don't let it swallow you whole.
