The world is pretty terrifying right now. It’s hard to hear scary things all day and worry about your future and the futures of your family members, friends, and children with so much uncertainty and so much on the line.

This is intensified by the fact that we live in a technological age where all information, good or bad — but lately, mostly bad — is constantly delivered to your cell phone. There are no breaks, no pauses, just a constant deluge of news, all day, all night, without stopping.

Every single day, it seems there is a new emergency, something new to watch or be concerned about — entire communities fearful of their due rights being violated, people feeling unsafe, and wondering what’s next — all while our civil liberties, rights, and freedoms hang in the balance.

Undoubtedly, we’re living in historic times, and the uncertainty and high stakes take a toll on your mind and body.

But please remember that even though it’s a heavy time in our country, you must prioritize yourself, take a break from doom scrolling, and spend time doing things that bring you joy.

Find something that lets off some steam, and do it. Schedule a coffee date with an old friend or a new one. Invite some friends over for wine and dance. Read a book, start journaling, take a walk, do a YouTube dance video, listen to some music, or watch a movie you keep hearing about.

And if you are struggling with your mental health, talk to someone: a trusted friend, a family member, or a therapist. You can also call 866-903-3787 to speak to someone on the National Mental Health Hotline for free.

Fighting for our freedom, civil rights, and liberties requires long-term stamina and energy. It’s a never-ending fight, so it’s important to remember the long game. You can’t pour from an empty cup or run something with a dead battery.

Prioritize yourself and take time to power up and fill your cup. Those moments of levity will help you take care of yourself and keep the energy needed to show up when things come up.

It’s no secret that democracy is in decline in the United States.

The last few decades have seen an onslaught of 21st-century voter disenfranchisement campaigns, as politicians in states across the country pass restrictive voter ID laws, close polling places en masse, and draw hyper-partisan legislative districts designed to dilute the power of our votes and make it harder to cast a ballot – especially for Black, Brown and other marginalized communities.

But more recently, these anti-democratic forces have grown even more extreme, with the spread of conspiracies, election subversion, and a relentless deluge of disinformation sowing mass doubt in the integrity of our electoral process. And now, since the Trump administration has taken power, these machinations have crossed new thresholds, and nowhere has that been more evident of late than in Wisconsin.

In recent weeks, Wisconsin has faced some of the gravest government abuses of power of our time. On Friday, April 25, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was handcuffed, shackled and arrested on federal charges for allegedly obstructing justice by refusing to allow her normal courtroom processes to be commandeered by ICE agents who did not have a judicial warrant. 

Judges are not required to carry out federal immigration enforcement, and the administrative warrant ICE presented did not authorize them to disrupt regular courtroom business, to enter any private places in the courthouse, or to direct the judge’s actions – the FBI placed her under arrest to try to scare our public officials into becoming ICE assistants, which the law does not require of them.

Just seven days later, in another exercise of gross federal overreach, White House Border Czar Tom Homan vaguely threatened to arrest Governor Tony Evers for issuing a memo directing state employees to consult with government legal counsel before speaking with ICE agents who appear at state-owned buildings, legal guidance in line with several other states.

These egregious actions have shaken Wisconsin's democracy to its core. Instead of upholding his sworn oath to protect and defend the Constitution, President Trump and his administration are actively defying and dismantling it right before our eyes.  Flouting court orders, arresting sitting judges and targeting public officials for objecting to policy objectives is authoritarian and anathema to our system of checks and balances. All people must have their rights to due process,  and they must have the ability to express their beliefs, attend school, do their jobs, and go about their lives without fear of arbitrary detention, deportation, arrest or retaliation by the state.

In a democracy, we settle policy differences through robust debate, votes and elections. We make change by speaking our minds, protesting, organizing, and building together towards a better future. If we don’t reject these actions now and instead allow the government to jail people they disagree with and disappear others they don’t like, democracy won’t survive.

Luckily, the people of Wisconsin recognize what’s happening and are taking action. In the wake of Judge Dugan's arrest, protesters gathered outside the courthouse and the FBI building, and a coalition of advocates swiftly spoke out against calls to arrest Gov. Evers.

At the beginning of April, Wisconsin voters rejected the world’s richest man's attempt to buy our votes. We’ve also shown up at town halls to defend our neighbors most in need against attempts to gut Medicaid and Social Security, and we’ve marched in the streets in solidarity and gratitude with immigrant communities across the state.

Wisconsinites know what’s at stake in this moment. We have been fighting hard – for those we care about and those we’ll never meet. We need to keep fighting, to keep caring, to keep showing up for ourselves and our communities. If we want democracy to last, we have no other choice.