It’s difficult to put into words how liberating it is to remove yourself from the politics and news bubble.
Instead of leisurely following the news during vacation, I took a different approach this time. I deleted Twitter, turned off all the news notifications on my phone, and lived in a temporary state of ignorance.
It was incredible.
And when I say ignorance, I mean I let developments in current events come to me naturally through family and friends. As in, don’t let your life be dictated by your phone dinging a new notification every other minute.
Sure, some big stories like the raid on President Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s office and the Syrian strikes somehow entered my consciousness, mainly through the fault of my politically engaged parents. But mostly, I have no idea what else happened last week.
Instead, I spent time with my parents, grandparents, siblings, and cousins doing what every family does: eat and lounge around talking about eating.
It was a simple vacation week spent in Florida, but it was badly needed. Up until now, it was difficult to discern whether Trump burnout was a real thing. I’m pretty sure now that it is real and that following the politics of today is unusually exhausting.
Coming back to D.C., it’s become apparent that taking time off every now and then is not only good for your mental health, it’s good for your family and your soul. If you’re fortunate enough to be a part of a big family (or framily), each moment you spend with them is never wasted.
It’s a good reminder that there’s so much more to life than politics. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. We only have so much time left on this planet. Why spend it being angry and stressed out?
