how to stop doom-scrolling

and get through the summer with your sanity intact!

If you missed it, the RNC was very gay and very boring. Trump gave the worst speech of his political career. It was so indisputably bad that even Fox News found it unwatchable and it gave Democrats something they haven’t felt for weeks: hope.

trump right before blowing kisses to hulk hogan (this actually happened!! google it!!)

I feel like I’ve been saying 'wow, that’s crazy' in a monotone voice every week for the last nine years. So if you’re feeling tired, or sick and tired of being sick and tired, you’ve never been less alone.

As I try to avoid panicking about a future that has not yet arrived, I’m drawn to one of my favorite poems by the Black autistic poet Morgan Harper Nichols. 'Let July be July,' she tells us. 'Let August be August.' It’s a reminder to let ourselves accept rather than avoid the undeniable uncertainty around us. So, as a reminder to you (and myself), it’s already July, but it’s also only July. While it feels like time is running out, we have 109 days left until the 2024 election. A lot can happen, and let’s be honest, a lot probably will.

But thinking about how everything could change, can still be unsettling. When a nerve-racking vibe takes over, we just want to know what will happen. Our minds try to predict an ending to keep us safe, but all it does it keep us seeking reassurance for a fixed future that doesn’t even exist. It’s something we’ve discussed a lot here at Airplane Mode.

If you’re finding yourself compulsively doom-scrolling and poll-checking right now, you’re probably falling into something called the certainty trap: the mental and emotional pitfall of needing constant reassurance that everything will be okay, which can prevent us from coping effectively with change. It’s our tendency to seek absolute certainty in an inherently uncertain world, leading to increased anxiety and stress when things inevitably don’t go as planned.

Seeking constant reassurance, whether it’s through our screens or by trying to get it from other people, is a perfect example of how our brains are designed to keep us safe rather than happy. Seeking reassurance might give our brains temporary relief, but it only makes us less likely to handle stressful situations because it confirms the myth that we need things to go a certain way in order to be okay. Yes, the stakes are high, and the threat is real, but if you can resist the urge to know everything and accept that you don’t, you’ll actually be better equipped to handle whatever comes next. The more you can focus on your resilience and ability to handle life, the less you’ll end up having 'doubt attacks' that monopolize your precious brain and soul energy.

Here are a few simple tricks to help you avoid the certainty trap:

• Stay Informed, Not Overwhelmed: Sure, keeping up with the news is important, but drowning in it? Not so much. Pick a few reliable sources, get your daily dose, and then step away from the endless scroll. Remember, being informed is good; being consumed is not.

• Focus on What You Can Control: You can’t single-handedly fix the entire political system (unless you’re secretly a superhero), but you can vote, volunteer, and campaign for causes you believe in. Channel your inner Leslie Knope and make a difference where you can. Every time I take a small action, I notice an immediate shift in my mental state. When the gap between how much you’re reading and how much you’re actually doing is too big, anxiety will find you.

• Get Involved Locally: Sometimes national politics can feel overwhelming. Focus on local politics where you can see more immediate and tangible impacts of your efforts. Why not focus on the local scene where your efforts can make a tangible impact? Plus, local politics often have free snacks. Just saying.

• Build a Support Network: Connect with like-minded individuals who share your political views. Support from a community can help alleviate feelings of uncertainty. This is precisely why I created our sharing circles and live events by the way! It’s really helped neutralize my panic to gather with our community. On the first Sunday of every month, we come together to support each other and find strength and hope. Make sure you’re a paid subscriber now so that you get to be part of what we’re buiding.

• Stay Hopeful: Look for the silver linings, the small victories, and the progress, no matter how tiny. Keeping a hopeful outlook can be your secret weapon against the uncertainty trap. Again, I’ve tried to make this newsletter realistic, yet optimistic. Trying to find a positive framing every week for you has helped me do it in my own life. So when something terrible happens, get in the habit of reframing the experience or event in a positive way. If you’re looking for practical tools to do this, you can come back to our conversation about optimists.

So, let’s let July be July. Acknowledge the chaos, the fear, the uncertainty—but don’t let it paralyze you. We’ve got a lot of days until the election, and each one is an opportunity to make a difference. Our vision for a better America, a better world, is still possible, even if it feels out of grasp right now. Trying to control everything is a one-way ticket to Stressville. Instead, let’s embrace the uncertainty and focus on what we can do right now.

We’ve been through tough times before, and guess what? We survived. We thrived. This time will be no different. Instead of clinging to the fantasy that everything will be perfect, let’s get comfortable with the fact that even if it’s not, we’ll still come out the other side. Stay hopeful, stay informed, and most importantly, stay you. We’ve got this.