Sometime in my late teens, I came across a copy of Daybreak, the first autobiography by Joan Baez. I was surprised by parts of the book, and at times a little disappointed.
Coming of age in the turbulent social environment of The Sixties, I was in awe of a lot of the activists of that time, especially those who, like Baez, were gifted enough to get their message out in beautiful and creative ways.
But when that creativity didn’t have a direct political message, such as when I heard Baez singing folk ballads instead of protest songs, I felt a little disappointed. It was the same feeling as when I encountered chapters in Daybreak that had to do with more homey topics, like cooking and gardening.
In those days, I had the mistaken idea that activists spent every waking hour fueled by adrenaline, with little time for the mundane.
In this current struggle to preserve our democracy, we may be tempted to fight that battle day in and day out, fueled by adrenaline and neglecting any opportunities for rejuvenation. Adrenaline is effective. It is the self-produced drug that gives us a needed jolt in fight-or-flight situations.
But it is not useful for long-term situations such as a lengthy election campaign. In those extended struggles, it is counterproductive to remain in a high-stress condition without any breaks. We cannot rely on adrenaline to fuel our efforts for too long at a stretch. We will get burned out, discouraged, and unable to remain effective.
We need to take a break, dig in the garden, bake some bread, chase the kids or the dog around the yard. And then ride that next surge of adrenaline.
It’s the best way to stay effective in this struggle to preserve our democracy.
Post submitted by Julia Cochran
Julia Cochran is a volunteer with The Union, a licensed counselor in private practice in Georgia, and the author of a long-running newspaper column on mental health topics. She grew up among a family of democracy-loving Republicans and served as president of her local Teen-Age Republican club.
Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.
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Thank you for your post. I've stopped watching the news and instead rely on Substack professionals to give updates. I'm sick of seeing you-know-who's picture every time I open my email and before I can click on anything there's that face. I'm disgusted that he's given first place on every single platform. I'm staying up-to-date but on my terms. As much as I like MSNBC, I find that the variety of topics on Substacks, like your post today, helps in keeping me grounded. All this political trauma is depressing.