All I had to do was pull the rip cord. Stop the doom scrolling. It was 2:02 AM, past the time to go to bed.
The old curse has never been more relevant: “May you live in interesting times.”
If you read blog posts like this to escape the relentless news cycle, I can relate. I binge-watch old movies and shows, play classic jazz records, and even take long nature walks to restore myself to a tolerable level of sanity. So, the answer to the question, “When should I pull the rip cord?” Any time. Now, if you need to.
Reading something saner than the standard news sites, believe it or not, can also help. Yesterday I pulled the rip cord by scanning an article in The Atlantic about gaslighting. Not a complete escape, mind you, but it presented a tad of optimism at the end that gave me some relief from the onslaught.
Put down the phone if you need to, shut the computer off, and clean a room, or even just furnishings or fixtures. Exercise. Take a hot shower. Eat something healthy.
And remember: you can pull the rip cord any time you choose.
