Volunteering is a fantastic idea! I've heard a lot of people weather the uncertainty of modern life better when they join an organisation.
I've only joined a temporary team. I'm not a member of any political party. I am what is called a "strategic voter" or, sometimes, an "ABC voter" (Anything But Conservative).
In Canada, both federally and provincially (our current upcoming election is an Ontario provincial), we have a multi-party system and a first-past-the-post electoral system. Unfortunately we have two left-of-centre parties and only one conservative party. (Mostly. We have some fringe parties too. But the Greens are only viable in two ridings in our upcoming election. The other smaller parties are not viable anywhere.) The majority of Canadians are not conservative. But we often elect Conservative governments because the vote on the left gets split whereas the vote on the right does not.
I vote for the candidate who I think has the greatest chance of defeating the Conservative candidate in my riding. Period. Doesn't matter if I like the other left-wing candidate better. Doesn't matter if I like the other left-wing party's platform better. Voting third party in a FPTP election helps the Conservative candidate to get elected. And I will never do that.
A lot of Canadians are strategic voters. A lot of Canadians who are not strategic voters do not understand what it is or how it works. Some Canadians who are not strategic voters themselves but who do understand what it is accept strategic voting as a viable and intelligent choice for those people who choose to do it. Some Canadians who are not strategic voters themselves but who do understand what it is find the practice abhorrent. This latter group tends to be comprised, primarily, of hardcore NDP supporters. NDP election campaign teams also tend to be comprised, primarily, of hardcore NDP supporters.
So I have joined a team. And I am fully committed to what I am doing for that team. (I wouldn't campaign for this candidate if I did not think she was the strategic choice for my riding, the best choice, and fully capable of doing the job well.) But the people I am working with now don't know that the previous two candidates I campaigned for were of a different party. And I don't know if my current team would accept me if they did know that. (They know I have worked on election campaigns before. But when they ask me which ones, I have just said, "Oh, it was in a different riding.")
Maybe I should just out myself to my current team. Maybe they would be cool with it and say, "We're glad you're on our side this time, Laura!" But maybe they wouldn't. And I don't want to get sidelined. Because the polls right now are suggesting my help could make a difference.
I hardly game anymore, now that I am thoroughly into crafting things.
I have used crafting as stress release sometimes too. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to result in origami covering every surface in my home:
or drawers full of jewellery I don't wear:
I even made the beads for this piece myself (out of FIMO):
Once upon a time these were the initials of some message that meant something important to me. I have no recollection now of what that was!:
At least with the jewellery I gave the nicest pieces away to friends.
I do have phases - when things are going very poorly indeed - where I will latch onto an incremental game just to feel like progress is happening somewhere in my life.
But mostly I now look for that feeling of progress in my crafts =)
Yup. I understand 100%.
Sometimes what I need most to release the tension is a simple repetitive task and wholesome youtube videos
I need to remember the "wholesome" part of this equation. There have been days since January 20th when I spent the entire day playing spider solitaire while listening to video clips of Rachel Maddow, Alex Wagner, and Nicolle Wallace. Attempting to relieve stress while simultaneously imbibing new stress isn't all that effective! (To be fair, sometimes the reporting is about things Democratic lawmakers and ordinary Americans are doing to fight back. That can feel good. But knowing the things people are having to do right now, and the danger they are putting themselves in by doing it, can be stress-inducing too. I have a personal friend in the US who is right now doing important and effective work to fight evil. And I am afraid for her.)
Sometimes stress-release is necessary, for sure. And one of the healthiest choices I often turn to: spending time outside in nature, is not always accessible to me during the winter months. But playing video games is probably my worst choice. It involves sitting in a chair, staring at a screen, and using a mouse and keyboard--the exact same things my work involves. So I'm not getting any kind of physical break from my work when I'm doing it. Plus: I only have one computer and one screen and one desk setup for organizing the tech. So when I'm playing video games I'm training my brain to associate my work space with playing games when what I should be doing is training my brain to associate sitting at my desk with writing.
I think, while I only intend for my total break from solo gaming to be 100 days long, I need to step away from solo video gaming permanently. I have physical copies of most of my favourite games, and space enough in which to set them up now. And gaming away from my desk and away from my screen would definitely be better. (Sometimes I have used the excuse of the faster setup of a video game to do that instead of breaking out the cardboard. And maybe that would be valid if I ever only played one game and then got back to work. But...) I'd still be using my computer setup to game with friends. (I am continuing to do so now.) This is necessary because the friends I game with live far away from me. But gaming with them is limited to 2 hours a week. So it's not a problem.
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I am glad you're okay 
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I mean, good bedside manners is one thing, but some of us need that brutal honesty from time to time.
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