Everything has been such a drag lately. A better-adapted person might, in such a situation, try to cheer up by doing known-fun things, like reading or going for a bike ride. Instead I have been sitting around scrolling the awful, awful news feeds and spiraling into despair.

Maybe I should do like others and do a bit of a media cleanse, take a step back from it all. But I’m not sure it’s just media that I need a break from, so much as the news itself, which would reach me either way, because my friends and colleagues are constantly bringing it up. And lots of the topics in play affect me or my loved ones immediately, so to some extent I can’t afford not to know. Maybe I’m just making excuses.

I made a couple of good attempts. Over the weekend, I went alone to some of the big tourist attractions in my city (which is not my hometown, so I’d never been to these spots before)—wandered and reflected. I noticed others who appeared to be doing the same. It’s rough out there.