I'm tired of BRACING MYSELF all the damned time.

[Sugar Smack]

This happens as early in the day as the moment I wake up. I remember what we're dealing with- remember the last news of yesterday & dread discovery of what may have happened overnight. Then steel myself: for the sheer fact of Trump's "Presidency", and the likelihood he'll outdo himself. Again. TODAY. WORSE.

It's become physical. The first time I remembered to roll my neck, I heard a "crack" like a gun going off. That was 4 days ago. It's getting easier to do. But, time flies while you're NOT having fun: my neck, shoulders & upper back are singing. They've been neglected for months. I'm going to ask the next person I see today to give my shoulders a nice yank from behind. Ask my best friend for a scalp massage.

With "recovery" at night, I drink a lot of chamomile tea with honey. Maybe a little grass? Or take a melatonin? I curl up in bed with my cat, and I read Stephen King. I *HAVE* to read Stephen King to get away from this %$#@!@%$ shit.

Thanks for letting me get that off my back. Shoulders, neck.

[Jacquette]

1. Personally?

Kush and re-reading Gone With The Wind is getting me through. I plan to re-read every 800 pg plus book I ever read. Stephen King's IT is next.

On 2nd thought....perhaps a novel re the collapse of a civilization isn't the best way to go right now. And neither is an evil entity terrorizing all it comes into contact with.

At this rate I'll be reduced to Where's Waldo. Wait...that'll make me think Where's Barack..

[Sugar Smack]

4. Welcome to DU, Jacquette-!

I used to love apocalyptic fiction, back when it was still fiction.

I'm reading thick paperbacks as well- The Tommyknockers.

Gone With the Wind? You may enjoy this. I posted it on another thread not 10 minutes ago:

[Jacquette]

6. Awwwww look at

Katie Scarlet in her mama's curtains! I'm at the scene at the Confederate bazaar when Scarlett is itching to dance. Enter Rhett. I'm like you; apocalyptic fiction right now? Not so much.

& thanks Sugar, for the nice welcome!!

[NurseJackie]

15. A smile for you...

[Jacquette]

17. Lol Joy and Sorrow....

Joy: that I saw that CB episode when it originally aired. Hilarious.

Sorrow: that I'm old enough to remember that episode when it originally aired.

[Qutzupalotl]

18. "I saw it in the window and just had to have it!"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. I read The Road a few months ago.

I figured if anything, it was good preparation.

[Sugar Smack]

14. I saw that movie some years ago.

I remember the relentless bleakness of it. I started buying more rice & beans, doing more "just in case" things. And stocking up on Vitamin C. Just in case.

[SonofDonald]

2. Also read author Jeff Long.

"The Descent", "Deeper", "The Reckoning", "The Wall", "Year Zero" and others.

If you love Stephen King you'll love Jeff Long, I picked up " The Descent" years ago and never looked back, outstanding fiction, try it, you'll love it.

[Sugar Smack]

5. Thanks for the tip!

I just looked him up on Google. I'm bookmarking it for later.

Welcome to DU!

[Hortensis]

3. Take a vacation from politics. Put a couple of donations on

autopay and mostly forget about it. Maybe join a brief protest or two to remind you are part of the resistance. But unless you were going to organize an action group or something, it'll be another 18 months before your time at bat comes up again.

I suggest this because I really think it is going to get worse emotionally before it gets better. "Worse" would actually include a slowdown of the destruction, when the media will "normalize" it and people will start thinking everything's going to be okay.

Right now we think they're destroying themselves, and there're hope and comfort in that. But at some point, probably already, extremists who pushed hard for max destruction in the first 100 days, like the Kochs, are almost certainly going to shift efforts to keeping congress in the midterms and back off. Confine most ongoing damage to out of sight.

Notably, while taking out rump might seem like a big victory to us, it would not slow the destruction, but probably speed it up and intensify it. Pence and Ryan are anti-government billionaires' choices, not rump. And if it was seen as because of us, the right-wing electorate would be newly enraged against us.

I expect my own anxiety to soar because of that and may have to do the same.

[Sugar Smack]

7. I'm going To March for Truth in Raleigh this Sat.

Yes, getting involved is the best way possible to shake the tension.

Bracing one's self for what lies ahead is as much physical as it is emotional, mental and spiritual. People I know tell me they're all feeling it. I fear most what you said here & I believe it:

"Worse" would actually include a slowdown of the destruction, when the media will "normalize" it and people will start thinking everything's going to be okay.

[Jacquette]

8. Easier said than done.

If I try to wean myself away from news and the internet I feel as if I'm missing something and I don't want anything to catch me off guard.

The worst part of this? The absolute WORST? It's realizing that there are classes of people who are happy to see America crash and burn; destroyed as we know it. Wealthy, prominent people. The Kochs. The Mercers. And hundreds like them. Idk what kind of America they want. The kind where only millionaires and billionaires lead decent lives? Where only the wealthy get healthcare? Where no one but the wealthy can afford homes?

What do these people think America will be like if they get their way? What will they preside over?

[Sugar Smack]

10. All signs point to "eminent domain", I believe.

I've been told I catastrophize and am no fun at parties, but one of my worst fears currently is that it's going to happen before we have a chance to throw the GOP out of office. And we're going to fight.

[SonofDonald]

11. Watch the movie "Elysium"

I think that's their template, it's what happens when the obscenely rich rule the world

[wildeyed]

9. The chaos is exhausting.

I hated GWB, but I knew from day to day what his horrible was going to look like. This guy? Everyday is an opportunity to explore new frontiers in WTF?!?!?

I have been reading Game of Thrones series straight through. It's like chewing gum for my brain. And recently took up Karate. Now if anyone tries to grab my pussy, I know how to break their arm without even trying hard.

[Sugar Smack]

13. We were both here for hating GWB,

and it's impossible for me NOT to compare those days to these. I was so certain things couldn't get worse. But I remember an element of entertainment when posting in those days: there wasn't a Russian coup in our country. Or, maybe it was more comical because I was drinking back then. This is so palpably different.

I walk a lot to get exercise. And Karate? A friend of mine here has just taken up karate. You have discipline!! I'm thinking about doing the same and learning Aikido.

And woe betide the pussy-grabbers. Really, woe betide them.

[wildeyed]

16. I just show up for classes at the local community center right now.

I'm not super disciplined about it yet. We'll see if I get serious. But it doesn't take long to get the basic moves strong enough to whack an obese, elderly, out-of-shape pussy-grabber