When you’re outraged but feel frozen, this will help
9 minutes Multiple times every day, usually after the gut punch of a news alert about the latest horrific action taken by this administration, I’ll think, “I need to DO something.”
But there’s a yawning chasm between understanding that I need do something—and actually doing something. Some days, I can’t quite cross that chasm. And after talking to many folks in our community, I know I’m not alone. ❤️
It’s understandable. We’re overwhelmed by all the things we could be doing. We want to do something meaningful that makes a real impact, but we’re not sure what that is. And we worry that nothing we could do would matter anyway.
And yet, on the good days when I do manage to fling myself over to the opposite shore and take some kind of action—even if it’s the teensy-tiniest step forward—I feel alive. ✨
I picture it like this: Suppose an invisible string connected your soul to the souls of millions upon millions of other decent people who are in this fight with us. When you take action, no matter how tiny, it’s like someone has reached out and twanged that string. It feels deep and resonant and a bit like magic. You’re instantly aware of how connected we are.
And even that small amount of progress motivates you to keep taking tiny steps forward. The overwhelm dissipates, and you realize that yes, you did do something meaningful.
But the chasm! If you have a busy couple of days and get caught up with work/parenting/life—or if the latest news alert leaves you feeling scared and hopeless—that blasted chasm is there again, like a Black Mirror episode come to life. 😬
You feel the outrage, the impulse to do something…but you get stuck in that stage. Go to bed, wake up, repeat.
So how can we make it to that Magical Shore of Doing Things more often? And more importantly: Is there a catapult?
Here’s the good news: I stumbled on a way to shrink the chasm and make it easier to take one tiny action a day, which I’m sharing below under #1 in Do this + feel better below. 💃🏼
Now, it feels like I can conquer the gap between “I need to do something” and “Hey look! I’m doing something” at a running jump.
Will this little trick help you take a democracy-saving step every single day, chasm be damned? Probably not. We’re still human.
But this moment doesn’t call for us to be perfect Democracy Defending Robots. It calls for us to each do what we can, when we can. 💞
Not only is that the only way forward, it feels awfully good, too.
Twang.
What’s inside
Inside our latest update, you’ll find these sections:
- Do this + feel better: 3 things you can do right now. Taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm.
- Keep growing: 3 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen—something to listen to, something to watch, and something to read.
- Get a shot of motivation: A conversation that resonated this week.
- Hey, look! We did this: A quick run-down of what folks in our little group of rabble-rousers have been doing to help.
- Your turn: What small actions have you taken lately? Let me know so we can celebrate with you!
Do this + feel better
Here are 3 things you can do right now. As a bonus, taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm…
1. Try the One Good Thing trick
A while back, a friend and I who were both in a tough season of life were commiserating about how hard it is to get things done when it feels like everything around you is an emergency.
So we started doing something simple but powerful. At the end of every day, we text each other One Good Thing. 🌈
For example, I might text:
“OGT: Started a Library Defenders group chat for my online book club, for folks who want to fight to protect libraries and our freedom to read”
Progress motivates, so articulating a tiny thing I did motivates me to do another tiny thing. And the next time I need to cross that chasm between wanting to do and doing, it’s a little easier. 🙌
Not only that, our OGT habit gives us accountability, too. Because when I sink onto the couch at the end of the day and realize, “Oh crap! I didn’t send my OGT!” that’s enough of a kick in the pants to do something small. (Hint: It’s never too late to call your reps with the 5 Calls app!)
Will you try this and let me know how it goes? Because I believe this mini-dose of connection, accountability, and celebration can help us keep moving forward.
👉 To get started:
- Think of a friend who’s concerned about the state of the world, too.
- Send them a quick message, like: “Hey, I’m struggling with feeling overwhelmed, and I want to try to take action every day to fight against the coup, even if it’s something tiny. I read about this simple idea called “One Good Thing,” where you find a friend and at the end of each day, you text or DM each other with one thing you did that day to fight back. Are you up for doing that with me?”
What if you can’t think of a friend to ask? Drop a comment below (or email me) and I’ll play matchmaker to connect you with someone else in our community who’s looking for an OGT buddy. 🥰
Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from my OGT habit:
- For some folks, replying to texts/DMs from others takes mental energy that you may not always have. (Some folks is me.) If you can relate, tell your friend that all you need is a ❤️ tap-back—no reply necessary—and ask if they’re cool with a tap-back to their OGTs, too.
- If you miss a day, that’s okay! We’re human. Try again the next day.
- If you can’t think of anything “good enough” for your OGT, think tinier. Did you share an article with a friend? You educated someone else, celebrate that. Did you order a book from Bookshop.org instead of Amazon? That helps! Did you join a mailing list or a Substack to keep yourself informed? You did something.
Articulating what you’ve already done reminds you of your own agency—reminds you of your power. It reminds you that you’re capable, and you can do something meaningful, even if it’s small. And that fills your hope tank so the next day, you can do one more thing. 🫶
2. Show up at Tesla
Let’s keep hitting Musk where it hurts: his bottom line.
👉 Join in for the next Tesla Takedown rally on Saturday, March 29. Find your closest Tesla Takedown event here.
What if you can’t take that much time out of your day? Or you’ve got kids in tow? As an alternative, you can drive by the rally and give the protestors a friendly honk to show your support.
If you’d like to learn more about this peaceful protest movement, head to Tesla Takedown.
3. Block your calendar
In a couple weeks, community organizations all around the country are joining forces to stop this illegal billionaire power grab.
👉 Find your closest Hands Off event here.
Community orgs helping to make this happen include Indivisible, MoveOn, The League of Women Voters, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, Public Citizen, the Women’s March, 50501, and oodles more. This is all hands on deck!
Please do everything you can to show up for this rally because this is a pivotal moment.
Push grocery shopping a day. Bring your kids. Reschedule that haircut. This is a crisis, and the time for us to act is now.
✅ So stop what you’re doing and stick this in your calendar right now, then tell a friend (or ten) so they can plan ahead to join you. (To save time, you’re welcome to copy and paste this part of my message into a message to your friends and tweak as necessary!)
Keep growing
Learning about what’s happening and how we dig ourselves out of this hole is an ongoing process. Here are 3 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen who wants to protect this democracy:
- 🎧 Listen (44 minutes at 1x): This podcast interview with Rebecca Donner, who is the great grand-niece of Mildred Harnack, brings to light someone you’ve probably never heard about. Mildred was born and raised in Milwaukee but got into a PhD program in Germany in the 1930s. There, she witnessed the terrifying rise of the Nazi party and became the only American in the leadership of the German resistance. Rebecca Donner wrote a book called All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days about Mildred’s little-known story of resistance. The parallels to what we’re currently going through are eerie and relevant.
- 📺 Watch (1.5 hours): Several Molly’s Army folks have signed up for a virtual screening of the movie Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink followed by discussion with director Rick Goldsmith on Saturday, March 29, at 7 pm. Watch the trailer and sign up for the virtual event here. (Note: This movie is not available on any streaming platforms, so this is your best chance to catch it.)
- 📖 Read (10 minutes): This online comic was delightful and gave me a shot of hope. It’s called Look for the Helpers No. 4. The somethings add up, indeed. Now go read it! 🏃♀️
Get a shot of motivation
A conversation that resonated this week, emphasis mine:
“Media is straight up refusing to cover any of the protests, and actively misreporting the basics of the law-breaking across the administration. Normal people who just casually pass by a few minutes of CNN in a week haven’t heard anything about the worst attack on government since the Civil War.”
— Tech entrepreneur and writer Anil Dash, on Bluesky
And in response:
“…you’re going to have to start sending group texts and emails. Putting up fliers and stickers. You’re going to have to be awkward and annoying.
When the cashier asks how you’re doing, say: As well as can be expected given the coup.
How are you feeling? I’m really concerned that the government is failing to contain bird flu.
Did you hear? They’re detaining legal residents because they don’t like their speech? It’s feeling…. tyrannical. What’s next, arresting people for criticizing Trump?
Don’t approach it like a debate or like you’re talking about the latest Marvel movie. You wanna spark curiosity.”
— Journalist and author Kendra Pierre-Louis, replying on Bluesky
Hey, look! We did this
Here’s a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:
- Austin will be at this Saturday’s Tesla Takedown rally, and he’s bringing a couple friends along with him. 🤸 (Keep asking your friends, even if they’ve said no before. Persistence works!)
- Barbara has been making phone calls, showing up to protests (with her walker!), and working on getting her adult grandsons to take action alongside her. This is where the magic happens—pulling new folks into the fight, one by one. Go, Barbara! 💪
- Sara went to the rally outside Senator Cornyn’s office this week, and the turnout is getting bigger every week. 💗 (If you’re in Austin, RSVP here for the next rally on Wednesday, April 9.)
- Sally helped hold signs and flags on a highway overpass along with a group of other folks. People need social proof that our country is in trouble and that now is the time for all of us to speak up—and Sally helped deliver that social proof. 🤩
- Janis spread the word to friends about the Tesla Takedown rally on Saturday and the national day of action on April 5, and she asked friends to donate to Stacey Abrams’ effort supporting candidates who will fight for democracy. 👏
- Maureen ordered 600 Covid tests (at no cost!) from the government as a proactive move before the program is potentially dismantled—at which time, the tests will likely be destroyed. She plans to distribute them in her community, with school nurse’s offices, food banks, and churches. 💙 (If you’re interested in ordering tests to distribute where you are, email me, and I’ll share the details!)
- Andrew showed up for a town hall with Public Citizen to get educated on lawsuits they’ve filed, ways they’re throwing sand in the gears of autocracy, and how we can score victories together. He’s also spreading the word on Nextdoor to educate neighbors. I’d say he deserves bonus points for willingly dealing with Nextdoor! 🏆
Your turn
What small actions have you taken lately? Please drop a comment below (or email me) and let me know what you’ve been up to so we can celebrate with you. 🥳
