The Best Thing I’ve Done for My Mental Health Since the Election

For the past 5-6 years, the news has been my daily companion. Not in a doomscrolling way, but as a quiet background presence while I cleaned the kitchen, made dinner, or folded laundry. It was comforting in its own way; a steady hum that allowed me to feel connected to what was happening in the world.

But something changed after the election. One night a few weeks back, once the dust had settled and the realization that the next four years will look drastically different than the previous ones kicked in, I decided not to turn on the news. It was a bit…different (quieter) at first, but I found myself leaning into it. The quiet felt refreshing, like opening a window after a storm. So I skipped the news the next night, too. And then the next. And the one after that.

It’s been almost a month now and I can’t overstate how much better I feel. My anxiety has lessened, my evenings are calmer, and my mind feels freer. I hadn’t realized how much emotional weight I’d been carrying from the endless stream of updates, especially since I felt so discouraged after the election results came back. Out of sight, out of mind, is my mantra for the next whoknowshowlong.

Will I turn the news back on? Maybe eventually. But for now, I’m giving myself permission to step away entirely (maybe for the next four years). And honestly, I’ve never felt more at peace with that decision.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately, I can’t recommend this enough. Try turning the news off for a week. Let the quiet fill the space instead. You might find, like I did, that peace isn’t found in staying informed every second. It’s in giving yourself the grace to take a break.