Mindy Carlson

It’s easy to become immobilized when you have a buzz saw chopping through the very foundation of your country. The desire to doomscroll–to stayed glued to social media and other news sites so you can watch the horror in real time–to see if anything is changing for the better, or if the buzz saw is coming right for you, is overwhelming.

But more time you stay on your phone, the more things that are left undone. And the more behind you fall, the more overwhelmed you become.

Welcome to the downward spiral.

If you’re feeling particularly helpless, if the weight of all this is pressing down on you so hard you feel pinned beneath it, please go see a counselor or therapist. Those are signs of depression and anxiety and there’s professional help available to you.

But the best way to get out of the spiral to put the phone down (after you’ve called your Congressperson and Representative) and go do something.

Tonight my “do something” is to an author event for E.A. Aymar. He’s as funny in person as his books are suspenseful to read. He’ll be at Southwest Neighborhood Library at 6:30pm tonight (2/20/25) and I’m joining some friends to watch the fun. Who knows? Maybe there will be a conga line!

Tomorrow night, Econ Husband and I will be going to a play at a local theater. Who know? There might also be dinner to go along with the show. Yesterday afternoon I had a gym date with my youngest kid and then we managed to pull together a family meal with real conversation. Then there’s the fingerless mittens I’m knitting…

And of course I’ve been reading. Given this is Black History Month, I’d like to introduce you to novels I’ve enjoyed written by Black authors. Hopefully, they become your favorites, too.

If you have something special you’re doing to stay out of the downward doom-spiral I’d love to hear about it. Leave your suggestion in the comments. And remember ….