How To Make The Next 4 Years Vaguely Tolerable

I asked the smartest people I know (y'all) what your plans were. Here's what you said:

I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Sarah Von Bargen, a long-time online writer, educator, and coach. Every week we’ll be talking about how to spend your time, money, and energy on purpose + how to build a lives we love without going broke or burning out.

Friends, I’m writing you from beneath a pile of cheese, YA novels, pet cuddles, and trip-planning-as-an-escapist-coping-mechanism.

If you live in the U.S., you’re probably living beneath your own pile of self-soothing practices. If you don’t live in the U.S. you’re probably counting your blessings.

I think we all knew that things were going to be not-great, but I’m not sure any of us expected, well, this.

Last week, I asked the smartest, kindest people I know (all of you) to share your plans for getting through the next four years, via Instagram Story question box.

Unsurprisingly, your answers were helpful, insightful, and immediately soothing. So good that I thought they deserved to be shared beyond a Instagram carousel.

Current coping mechanisms: 17 days in Santa Fe, this lovely book, a handsome boy (not mine)

8 Ways Make The Next 4 Years Vaguely Tolerable

1. Control the controllables

So many of y’all are committed to being mindful of the media you consume, the conversations you have (and who you have them with), and how you’ll be spending your time, money, and energy over the next four years. It’s a marathon not a sprint, right?

Perhaps now is the time to stop arguing with Weird Uncle Dave and his conspiracy theories. Maybe this is when we finally stop shopping at the big box store that a) is chronically understaffed b) locks up the $5 lipstick. This could be an opportunity to set screentime limits and get a subscription to a real, physical, local newspaper. So vintage!

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2. Double down on city and state politics

I bet you were already planning on doing this, you kind, thoughtful person, you! Our school board members, city councils, and state elected officials have a huge impact on our day-to-day lives. (Please consider this popular and painfully accurate t-shirt about how my very own city navigates snow removal!!)

My favorite ways to do this:

• Follow my elected officials on social media

• Subscribe to my ultra-local neighborhood newspaper

• Get involved in my community council (I volunteer to run their social media and I’ve already learned so much and met so many people!)

• Follow local non-profits and organizations that address causes I care about and subscribe to their newsletters. They’ll tell you exactly how to help!

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3. Doing hands-on volunteer work, not “just” donating and making phone calls

Setting up monthly autopayments to organizations is great - it’s literally better for them than one-off donations! Annnnnd - I don’t know about you - but I set up a bunch of recurring donations in 2016 and I couldn’t tell you the names of those organizations to save my life. I know I’m giving $10 a month to lots of different orgs … and that’s about it.

My favorite hands-on project is picking up litter because you can’t screw it up, nobody will argue with you about if it’s “good,” I can do it anytime I want, and there’s a tangible before / after difference. (Vaguely related: this David Sedaris essay about picking up garbage while wearing a fitbit is one of my favorite pieces of writing ever.)

Other more “hands-on” volunteer ideas:

• Planning Parenthood clinic escort

• Build a house with Habitat For Humanity

• ESL tutoring

• Big Brothers / Big Sisters

I’m sure y’all have tons of great ideas - I’d love to hear them in the comments!

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4. Volunteer with + donate to communities most impacted by new policies

This was such a great suggestion! With the onslaught of executive orders, life currently feels like a game of Worst Case Scenario Whack-a-mole. I think a sustainable way to navigate this is to ask yourself:

• What vulnerable group is being impacted by this policy?

• Is there a local organization that already works with these folks?

• How can I get involved with an existing organization in a way that’s sustainable for the long-term?

And because my fellow over-achievers might need to hear this (I do): It’s okay if you “just” choose one cause and one local organization you really care about and devote yourself to that. We won’t think you care less about climate change because you’re volunteering once a week with trans kids who are unhoused.

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5. Cancel your Amazon subscription + spend more at local businesses

But you knew that already, right? There are a million reasons why it can be hard to cancel Amazon - you live somewhere remote, you have an incredibly busy life and don’t have time to shop at four different local stores, you can’t find what you need in traditional stores.

I get it! It can also be a both / and situation. You can keep the subscription for automated monthly deliveries of dog food, paper towels, and tampons, but shop locally for clothes, books, and home goods.

Recent self-care: a trip with old friends, sing-alongs, musical theater

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6. Practice great self-care

Because it bears repeating (for myself as much as anyone), it’s a marathon not a sprint and you can’t pour from an empty cup. So make time for whatever self-care looks like for you - yoga, therapy, rom-com novels, knitting, going to one of those places where you pay to smash plates.

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7. Lower your “personal overhead”

True story: In August, I booked myself a month’s worth of Airbnbs in my favorite city in Mexico for January 2025. I had grand visions of 70 degree days, improving my Spanish, and eating my weight in that roasted pumpkin seed dip.

In late November, I thought “It reallllly feels like there’s a financial crisis looming. Perhaps now is not the time to spend $3,500 on a totally optional vacation.”

So, instead, I used Trusted Housesitters to find a 2.5 week dog sitting gig in Santa Fe. 17 days of free lodging in exchange for cuddling a very handsome Bernese Mountain Dog in a beautiful home with incredible views.

It would be wonderful if all of the new policies magically reversed inflation and decades of salary stagnation. It does not seem like that is going to happen.

Spending less + saving more is never, ever a bad idea. In fact, it feels like a good idea when our economic future feels so unstable.

A few of my favorite ways to “reduce personal overhead”

• Review and cancel subscriptions

• Delete the Doordash, Amazon, and Ubereats apps from your phone

• Spend any unused gift cards you have (in 2024 the average value of unused gift cards in the United States was $244 per person!)

• Use your library

• Join your local Buy Nothing Group, or check out the “free” sections of Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and good ol’ Craigslist

• If you’re not shopping for groceries at Aldi, start!

• Whenever you need / want something, try to find it secondhand before you buy new

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8. Make space for fun, joy, and connection no matter who is in office

Right? Right.

Like the extremely Type-A person I am, I actually have a recurring event in my Google calendar for Sunday nights to “schedule fun” into the coming week. I color code all my plans so I can see - at a glance - if I have enough fun tucked in there between the client meetings and dentist appointments.

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas with me on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you in the comments! How are you doing? What are your plans for the next 4 years? What soothing tv show / book / podcast are you using for distraction?

P.S. I still earn 95% of my income doing writing and marketing work for private clients. How lovely not to force my creativity to pay my bills!

I have one spot open for a new retainer client some February; if you need help with marketing strategy, newsletters, blog posts, or social media, you can learn more about my work here. Or you can grab a spot on my calendar for a quick, no-pressure chat to see if we’d be a good fit!