President’s Message

April 2025

Is anyone else stressed out about politics?  I sure am.  More so than ever.  With all of the uncertainty coming out of Washington DC, all of the legislation being introduced at our state capital, both good and bad, and let’s not forget, the ongoing conflicts around the globe, who wouldn’t be stressed.

For my own well-being, I have been searching for ways to both stay engaged and to disconnect.  It’s tough to do.  Particularly in my role as a member and president of the LWV of Lincoln-Lancaster County, a non-partisan but political organization.

I have come across a few articles and one resonated with me from kgalifeservices.com called “Politics Stressing You Out?” that I am going to try and follow, both personally and as a League member.  In it, the article lays out five steps to feeling better.

1. Limit your news consumption.  Stay informed, but limit the number of news sources and time spent with them.
2. Take a social media break. Limit your use of social media to once a day at most, or take a break from it all together.
3. Focus on what you can control. Most of what is happening in national and global politics is out of our personal control.  If you enjoy being politically active, find one or two meaningful causes to which you can donate your time or money (like the League).
4. Live your values. One way to impact politics and decrease stress is to make sure our daily lives are closely aligned with our values. With a clear sense of our own values, it is easier to maintain focus on what we find important and what we can control.
5. Seek community. Find people you trust to share your thoughts, feelings and concerns.

For me, #5 has been the most impactful.  Just talking about what is stressing me out and talking about how, in some way, I can make a difference helps.   Or, just getting confirmation from someone else that it is ok to “let it go” has helped.

It’s a little too late to make a New Year’s Resolution, so I am going to call mine my “Any Time Resolution.

To read the article:

https://hr.harvard.edu/files/humanresources/files/coping_with_political_stress.pdf