Months ago, when I visualized Jan. 20, 2025, I imagined a celebratory day where barriers would be broken. After years of waiting for this moment, my inner child longed to see a different face representing our nation’s highest office. When I pictured Jan. 20, I envisioned so clearly the inauguration of the first woman elected as President of the United States, with Kamala Harris setting a new American precedent. 

That optimistic vision for the next four years came to a halt early Nov. 6, 2024, as news outlets began projecting Donald J. Trump to win another general election. The first 30 days of his second term have been an exhausting time for someone like myself, who is greatly concerned with the promotion of diversity, the elevation of the working class, issues of wealth inequality and protecting democracy. As the last several weeks have progressed, my emails, news forums and social media platforms have been flooded with photos of the richest billionaires seated in the front row as Trump took his oath of office, executive orders attacking DEI and of the wide array of federal information accessed by the new DOGE agency and Elon Musk. 

It seemed like every time I opened my phone lately, I was instantly hit with a stream of news that hadn’t let up. In this age of information, with digital media more accessible than ever before – it can be hard to find a balance between staying informed and in good spirits. Social media apps like TikTok, with ultra-personalized algorithms, know my interests to a tee. 

Therefore, although many social media platforms were originally intended to be a means of connection and entertainment for downtime, they have become the opposite of relaxing for me. 

While my TikTok ‘For You Page’ knows many of my lighthearted interests, such as my favorite athletes, TV shows and singers – it is also very aware of my passion for politics, current events and their impact on different communities around the country. Often these topics make up half the videos shown to me on a daily basis. Seeing so many people in the queer community, educators, people of color, transgender people, immigrants and women discuss how hurt they are by some of the rhetoric of the Trump administration only amplified my own. 

This constant flow of negative commentary, paired with Trump’s excess of over 65 executive orders so far, according to the American Presidency Project – has kept me both informed but also a bit of a pessimist. The largely apolitical nature of Fairfield University’s campus culture has also added to my feelings of discontent with whose interests society pays attention to and uplifts. 

Last week I had lunch with a friend. We both share many of the same political values. We caught up and our conversation quickly led into a rant that lasted hours revolving around our frustrations with the country and our deep desire for change. 

This day reminded me of several important lessons I had seemed to forget this past month. These include the significance of engaging in real-life conversations with others and prioritizing community as much as possible. It is so much easier to picture growth when you get offline and find others who picture the same reality as possible. I know that keeping up with what’s going on in the world is necessary – but it can’t supersede one’s need to protect their own well-being at the same time. 

Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez emphasized this need in her Instagram livestream last week. In this conversation, she said, “It is so easy and natural when you see all of this stuff falling apart to get paralyzed because all of it is so overwhelming and you don’t know what to do about it.”

She continued to speak on how valuable it is to remember you are not alone and that every cause has so many people feeling the exact same way. 

Cortez continued by explaining, “It is of personal importance to you and it is also of political importance to take a breath. That does not mean tune out, that does not mean get apathetic, it does not mean … that you have to forget or whatever, it just means take the breath.” 

Her words show that both routes are possible. One does not need to tune out politics. But one should never overlook the toll of negative news. Call your representatives, then hang out with a friend. Educate yourself on important issues and then go practice a hobby. Finding tangible communities with others who care will keep us ready to respond and organize when you see a problem in the world you hope to start to tackle.