Imperfect Activism
& How Not to Drown in Doom Right Now
A five-part newsletter series—centered around U.S. politics—published in January and February of 2026, all collected in one spot.
How Not to Drown in Doom Right Now: “You can’t care about everything”
“We’ve been collectively soaking in pandemics and politics and climate anxiety, all filtered through social and news media models that profit on anger and panic. How can we keep our eyes and hearts open to hard realities without drowning? And how can we regular folk do anything to help?”
Our Relationship to the News
“The news has been overwhelming. The most understandable impulse is to check out entirely. Stop looking, turn away. But chronic disengagement only serves those in power. So how do we shape a sustainable, constructive relationship with the news? How do we keep our eyes open without destroying ourselves?”
Imperfect Activism: “But What Can I Actually Do?”
“Below is a list of very real, very actionable answers to the question, ‘But what can I actually do?’ I’ve organized the items by capacity. As you read through the list, don’t ask: ‘What should I be doing?’ Rather, ask: ‘What can I genuinely and consistently offer?’”
Self-Care
Especially for Doom Times
“Awe is a wonderful stress management tool with immediate benefits.…particularly suited for coping with political and climate anxiety. Because many of us—especially the hyper-responsible, big-feeling, perfectionistic types—carry a vague sense that we should be able to fix everything, save everyone, and solve the unsolvable.
Awe lovingly disrupts that illusion…”
“I Love You, But…”
Maintaining Relationships When
You Disagree
“Loving someone whose beliefs and values are different from our own—especially when we find those beliefs to be profoundly harmful—is really, really hard…It’s likely that you both feel misunderstood, irritated that they just don’t get it, and weary from constantly deciding what’s safe to say or how much to push back. It can be lonely, tiring, sad, and wildly frustrating…Calibrating your level of closeness with a person so that you CAN maintain a real relationship without resentment, dread, or estrangement—this is hard.
But it is loving.”