It is around the time when you, reader, dear reader, have either cycled through the five stages of grief or have finally stopped reposting pro-Trump graphics on Instagram. We are now firmly in the midst of a second Trump presidency—awash in a thousand executive orders and even more TWEETS IN ALL CAPS (I refuse to call it X). No matter where you stand on issues of D.O.G.E., the Gulf of America, or the Y.M.C.A., your job is not over.
Political fatigue is a luxury we simply cannot afford. Sure, this may all feel a bit predictable—another call to civic action in a sea of similar think pieces—but that doesn’t make it any less important. And since we live in a world where self-help books somehow remain bestsellers, why not take a page from Stephen R. Covey’s format? If Covey was right about habits shaping success, then it’s time to channel that energy into something more meaningful than just another Instagram story. Here’s how to engage in civic life without slipping into doomscrolling despair.
- Read the fine print
Headlines are built for clicks, not clarity. Legislation and policies often sound promising but hide critical details in legalese. If you care about an issue, read the actual bill, check multiple sources, and understand the real-world impact! Don’t be fooled, and most importantly, do not miss the details.
- Show up!
Politics isn’t just a spectator sport. Your voice carries weight when you’re present in city council meetings, community discussions, and local events. Voting matters, but so does everything before then. If you’re not showing up you’re letting someone else make decisions for you. Change doesn’t come from the sidelines.
- Don’t let frustration turn into apathy
It’s easy to feel disillusioned when change is slow or when setbacks seem to outweigh progress. But giving up is a moral failure as much as a practical one. Civic engagement is about more than just immediate results—it’s a commitment to collective responsibility. Staying engaged, even when things seem bleak, is an act of hope and a testament to the belief that a better society is worth striving for.
- Know your rights
Nothing kills civic engagement faster than confusion. Do you know what your voting rights are? What about your rights if you get stopped at a protest? Can you file a public records request? If the answer to any of these is ‘uhhh… maybe?’ it’s time to brush up. Knowing your rights makes you harder to silence, harder to manipulate, and infinitely more annoying to politicians who thrive on public ignorance. Learn them, use them, and teach them to everyone who will listen (and maybe even some who won’t).
- Stop viewing issues through the lens of your self-actualization
Whoa, there. A little aggressive there with the header. But it is true. Too often, people view politics as a way to improve themselves—to craft an identity, build a brand, or signal virtue. But civic engagement isn’t a personal development exercise, and policies don’t exist to give you a sense of moral superiority. The goal isn’t to be seen as a good person—it’s to materially improve the lives of others. Care because injustice exists, not because it makes you look informed. Act because it’s right, not because it earns you credibility. If your activism is only about you, it’s not activism—it’s just another form of self-absorption.
- Build bridges, not just echo chambers
If you only ever talk politics with people who agree with you, you’re not discussing—you’re reinforcing. The most effective movements don’t happen in ideological silos; they happen when people with different priorities find common cause. You don’t have to agree on everything, but if you refuse to listen, don’t expect anyone else to.
- Begin with the end in mind
Stephen Covey probably wasn’t thinking about democracy when he coined this phrase, but he might as well have been. Civic engagement isn’t just about reacting to the latest crisis—it’s about setting a long-term vision for the world you want to live in. And that requires some self-reflection. What kind of government do you actually want? What issues do you deeply care about, beyond just what’s trending? Where do you personally fit into the civic landscape—are you a policy advocate, a voter mobilizer, a community organizer? If you don’t have a clear answer, it’s time to start thinking beyond the next election cycle.
Democracy isn’t a seasonal event, and civic engagement isn’t a one-time performance—it’s a practice, a responsibility, and, at its best, a habit. If you’ve made it this far, you already know that staying engaged requires more than a well-timed tweet or a one-off volunteer shift. It means showing up, reading beyond the headlines, resisting apathy, and—most importantly—caring about issues for reasons bigger than yourself.
The good news? None of this requires perfection. You don’t have to be a policy expert, attend every city council meeting, or single-handedly dismantle corruption. But you do have to commit. So, take a breath. Step away from the doomscrolling. And then step back in with purpose—because democracy isn’t self-sustaining, and the world won’t change just because you wish it would. It changes because people, however imperfectly, make it change.
Now, go make it happen.