How to Fight Back Without Burning Out

Mental, Physical, and Emotional Survival for People Who Still Give a Damn

How to Fight Back Without Burning Out

Mental, Physical, and Emotional Survival for People Who Still Give a Damn

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #476: Thursday, August 7th, 2025. 3:40 PM CST

Every day you wake up in this country…you’re handed a choice:
Look away.
Or look straight at it…and do something.

But what nobody tells you is that looking comes at a cost.

If you’re paying attention…you’ve probably felt it in your chest. That pounding pulse when another authoritarian move flies by…wrapped in legalese and media apathy. Another law passed. Another right gutted. Another ruthless executive order bulldozing lives while the people in charge shrug.

You know what’s happening. You’ve seen the headlines. And deep down…you feel it:

This country is becoming something it was never supposed to be.

But how do you keep fighting…without falling apart?

How do you stay sane…strong…and spiritually upright while staring down the barrel of rising fascism?

You don’t need a spa day.
You need a damn manual.

This is it.

I. Grief Is Natural. Just Don’t Let It Move In.

Let’s start here: If you’re grieving, you’re not weak. You’re wide awake.

There’s a name for that hollowed-out…nauseous feeling you get when you realize your rights…your safety…or your neighbor’s life are being traded for political gain.

It’s called moral injury…and it’s the cost of still giving a shit in a country increasingly run by people who don’t.

Grief is normal. Rage is normal. Hell, feeling like you want to cry and break something at the same time? Also normal.

But here’s the key:

Feel it. Move it. Don’t build your house in it.

Let it come. Then shake it off like an animal coming out of trauma.
Run. Shout. Write. Slam a sledgehammer into the ground.
Then…act.

Because authoritarians win when we’re paralyzed.
You don’t have to be calm. But you have to be moving.

II. Train Like a Resistance Fighter…Because You Are One

Look, I’m not telling you to prep for civil war.
But if you don’t think your body is your first line of defense…you’re kidding yourself.

You don’t have to look like some muscle-bound Navy SEAL.
But you do need to treat your body like an instrument of resistance…not a liability.

Start here:

• Move daily. A brisk 30-minute walk with “hell bent for leather,”…inspiring music in your ears can shift your whole nervous system.

• Lift something heavy. It changes your chemistry. You’re already carrying emotional weight…might as well build physical muscle to match.

• Eat like someone who’s going to need energy for the long haul. Not sugar crashes. Not dopamine spikes. Real fuel. (see BONUS below)

• Sleep like it’s a mission. Because without it…your brain short-circuits and your nervous system screams.

You're not "working out" for the beach.
You're preparing to stay in the fight when others collapse.

And yeah…it pisses them off when you're strong.

III. Stop Looking for Hope in the Headlines

One of the fastest paths to burnout?

Basing your emotional stability on the news cycle.

The press is bought. The institutions are slow. The good guys often lose.
If you wait for a win to feel hopeful…you’ll never last.

So here’s the pivot:

Hope is not a mood. It’s a practice.

Build it:

• Call one lawmaker a week.

• Do one action in your community.

• Write one thing that pushes truth into the open.

• Talk to one person who’s woken up…but doesn’t know what to do next.

The truth? Hope grows when you move toward something better.

Not when you wait for someone else to fix it.

IV. Protect Your Mind Like It’s a Battlefield (Because It Is)

We’re under constant psychological warfare.
That’s not hyperbole. It’s strategy.

Disinformation…numbing memes…gaslighting pundits…every one of them is designed to make you tired…confused…apathetic…or just too burned out to act.

So here’s the prescription:

1. Set boundaries with information.

• No doomscrolling before bed.

• Schedule your news intake.

• Stop following people who only share horrors without action.

2. Curate your inputs.

• Pick 1–2 trusted sources.

• Subscribe to newsletters that sharpen your thinking, not paralyze you.

• Replace noise with insight.

3. Learn to spot the gaslight.

If a story makes you feel like you’re crazy for seeing what you’re seeing—it’s probably propaganda.

Stay sharp. Stay sober. Stay dangerous to fascism.

V. Find (or Build) Your Tribe

You cannot do this alone.
Isolation kills resistance. Period.

If you’ve been surrounded by “chill” liberals who keep telling you to “just vote,” I get it. But you need war buddies, not yoga class chitchat.

Here’s how:

• Form or join a small action group: 3–5 people who vent, plan, and move together.

• Host Sunday resistance sessions over coffee. Strategize. Write. Call.

• Build community in Substack comment threads, Signal chats, or local activist channels.

The rule is simple: If they validate your rage AND fuel your action—they’re your people.

Hold tight to them.
Because when this storm gets worse, you’ll need each other more than ever.

VI. Anger Is a Tool. Not a Lifestyle.

Anger gets a bad rap. But you know who loves when you stuff it down?
Tyrants.

They want you quiet. Numb. Tamed.

But here’s the deal:
Anger without direction becomes poison.

You’ve got to channel it:

• Into strategy

• Into boundaries

• Into truth-telling

• Into movement

But then…let it go. Go laugh. Cook. Dance. Watch a dumb show. Be human.

The goal isn’t to be consumed by rage.
The goal is to use it to make something happen…then rest so you can do it again.

VII. Joy Is Ammunition

This might be the hardest part to believe.
But it’s true:

Joy is an act of rebellion.

They don’t want you angry.
But they really don’t want you joyful. Because joy means you're still alive, still loving, still dangerous.

So practice joy:

• Blast music while you cook

• Hug your dog like it’s a therapy session

• Watch the stars and remember what’s still beautiful

Not because you're ignoring the collapse.
But because you’re building the resilience to outlast it.

Joy is what keeps the soul from surrendering.
And you’re going to need yours.

VIII. You Don’t Have to Do It All. But You Have to Do Something.

Maybe you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you don’t know where to start.
That’s normal.

But remember this:

You don’t have to stop the flood. You just have to hold your line.

Pick your lane:

• Are you a writer? Write.

• A connector? Build communities.

• A researcher? Dig.

• A loudmouth? Be loud as hell.

Whatever your skill…use it like a weapon.
Don’t waste energy trying to do everything.
Just don’t do nothing.

IX. Final Word: The Discipline of Not Giving Up

You’re allowed to be exhausted. You’re allowed to rest.
But you are not allowed to disappear.

Because if we’re going to stop what’s coming—
If we’re going to drag this country back from the cliff—
It will be people like you who do it.
The ones who looked.
The ones who broke.
The ones who rebuilt stronger.

So here’s your call:

• Stand up.

• Sharpen your mind.

• Train your body.

• Guard your heart.

• Hold your line.

• And refuse to let the bastards win.

We’re in this together.

I’ll be back soon!
Stay strong…while getting….even stronger.

Best,
-Jack

P.S.

My next private drop includes a daily Resilience Ritual…a psychological and physical checklist for fighting back without burning out.
It’s been tested. It’s working. And it’s yours.
Join the inner circle and get tools…the deep dive.