The past year took a real toll. Donald Trump’s return to power in 2025 didn’t just reshape politics—it reshaped the emotional weather we all live in. The cruelty, the chaos, and the constant uncertainty seeped into everything. For many people, 2025 felt like one long shock-and-awe campaign, and just getting through it required more endurance than anyone should have to summon.
That kind of pressure isn’t accidental. The nonstop churn of outrage, the flood of bad news, and the sense that everything is always on fire are part of how people get worn down. Burnout is a political strategy. If people are exhausted, anxious, and overwhelmed, they disengage. They stop showing up. They give up—not because they stopped caring, but because their nervous systems never get a break.
As we head into 2026, a midterm election year that will allow us to finally move from absorbing blows to pushing back, this matters more than ever. The fight ahead will be energizing and meaningful, but it will also be intense. Staying in it for the long haul requires learning how to take care of ourselves in ways that are practical, accessible, and sustainable.
When people hear the word “mindfulness,” it can sound abstract or indulgent. That’s not what this is about. It’s about simple habits that help your body and brain calm down so you’re not stuck in a constant state of fight-or-flight. These are habits that pull you out of the endless scroll, even briefly, and remind your system that you’re allowed to breathe.
I have a handful of routines that interrupt the noise. I start every day with a eucalyptus spray in the shower—something sensory that forces a pause and a deep breath before I take in Trump’s latest outrage. I use a eucalyptus spray from Travertine Spa, a Black-owned company I stumbled across and loved so much I ended up getting to know the CEO. It’s a small thing, but it creates a moment of calm before the day begins.
Music has always been grounding, so playing or composing on the piano or guitar gives my brain somewhere else to go for a while. Reading science fiction does the same thing, letting me escape into other worlds when I’m kind of over this one.
Lifting weights helps burn off stress in a very physical way. And over the past year, I’ve leaned hard into mobility work—traditional yoga, slower restorative practices like yin yoga, and structured mobility routines. Julia Reppel’s mobility workouts on YouTube, yin yoga with Kassandra, and yoga sessions on Apple Fitness have all become part of a regular practice that supports both physical health and mental clarity.
Here at Daily Kos, people have found their own ways to stay grounded.
Alex, one of our writers, leans on movement, humor, and story. Barre workouts and two-stepping around Austin provide physical release, while rewatching “30 Rock” and starting the day with coffee and conversation with her partner add rhythm and levity. Reading is central for her too—she’s powering through book after book, even while tackling something as demanding as “The Shards.”
Peri, who runs social media for Daily Kos, turns everyday moments into small adventures. Walks with their kid become birdwatching expeditions and neighborhood scavenger hunts for goofy yard art. Creativity plays a big role as well. Illustration work for children’s books led to intricate architectural drawings—focused, absorbing projects that demand concentration and allow everything else to fall away.
Emily, one of our editors, finds that exercise—running, yoga, weight lifting—grounds her even when she doesn’t love it in the moment. The act of moving her body helps her stay present and reconnect with what it’s capable of.
For Mel in operations, fiction provides an essential escape. Immersing herself in novels and Chinese and Korean dramas offers a way to step out of the constant churn and let her mind reset.
Dacia, our president, clears her head on long solo bike rides. Time alone, moving through space, breathing deeply, and focusing on her own needs without interruption creates the mental space she needs.
And John on the tech team made a deliberate change after years of nighttime doomscrolling, returning to reading fiction before bed. Replacing screens with a book became a way to quiet his mind and protect his sleep. That’s something I aspire to, as my own relationship with screens remains a work in progress.
None of this looks the same for everyone, and it shouldn’t. What matters is finding something—anything—that helps you reset and stay grounded enough to keep showing up.
I’d love to hear what works for you. What helps you step away from the noise, even briefly? What keeps you steady when the news feels relentless? Share what you do in the comments. Someone else reading might need exactly that idea today.
