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10 things to do instead of doomscolling on Election Day

things to do today instead of watching election news
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Stop refreshing the news, you obsessive freaks. Put your time to better use and try one of these other things.

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Terrified for the outcome of today? Yeah, so are we. Obsessing over updates and continuously refreshing pages? Yeah, so are we.

But we're the ones being paid to do it. So how about you put your time to better use and try one of these other things?

Watch something else

TV remote

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The Minnesota Wild are having a great season. I've also heard that new Marvel show about witches is okay.

Did you know every single episode of Kitchen Nightmares is on YouTube for free? Why would you be staring at an electoral map when you could watch Gordon Ramsay call someone a donkey?

(Editor's note: The Wild are a hockey team, apparently).

(Writer's note: Do not disrespect the only good team Tim Walz has to root for, Alex.)

Crochet/knit

crochet

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Don't know how? Try learning something new for once in your life.

Play video games

videogames

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Instead of focusing on the society you live in collapsing due to the failings of the ruling class, try playing Hollow Knight, a game about society collapsing due to the failings of the ruling class. Or Elden Ring, a game about society collapsing due to the failings of the ruling class. Or The Last of Us, a game about...

You know what? Maybe don't play video games today.

Go for a run

couple running winter

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And don't stop running until you cross the Canadian border.

Then run right back over, because their recent polls are also leaning pretty conservative.

Throw your phone in a lake

phone in lake

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Forget "reconnecting with nature" or "taking a 15-minute walk" — solve the problem at its source and only use mid-1800s technology for the next week. You can have the results on Saturday when a newsboy shouts them at you from a street corner.

Journal

journaling

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Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help, but holding down the "A" key for the next 72 hours doesn't count.

Cook/bake something

salad tossing

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Just try really hard not to think about the surge in foodborne illnesses during Trump's first term or his promises to gut the regulatory state while you toss that salad. E Coli-bus unum.

Clean

cleaning busy hands

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Busy hands are happy hands. Only chores can keep the wickedness at bay.

Online shop

online shopping

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I'm either abusing my liver or my bank account today, and only one of those options gets me aGolden Girls caftan. The other gets me alcohol poisoning, but hey — might as well take advantage of Obamacare while we still have it.

Watch some porn

hands under covers

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Quick, before Republicans ban it under Project 2025!

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Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.