9 Meaningful Things to Do During the National Shutdown (or anytime) 😍

Jan 30, 2026

Today's the national shutdown. We're purposely pulling attention, money, and time from things that are harming us, and highlighting how much power we actually have, together, to create the world we wish for.

There's a lot of info around about what not to do today (work, school, shopping – especially at big box stores), but what about what we CAN DO? Here are some shutdown activities I recommend:

📞 Contact Your Senators

Ask your senators to cut funding for ICE. Takes 2 minutes. Simple but powerful.

CALL YOUR SENATORS | EMAIL YOUR SENATORS

💰Divest & Reinvest

Take today's time to pull your memberships and subscriptions from corporations aiding ICE, and set up new accounts with companies that prioritize a just, sustainable planet. It's ok if you can't do them all. Even one is more than none.

COMPANIES TO BOYCOTT

AMAZON ALTERNATIVES

SUSTAINABLE SMALL BUSINESSES

BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

INDIE BOOKS

💤 Rest

Let go of grind culture and give yourself what you need. Resting your body, mind, and spirit is good for your health, brings your attention back to what's important, and is in itself a form of resistance. Do whatever activities feel the most restful to you, whether it be napping, yoga, meditation, journaling, taking a walk, or something else.

🌱 Get Around to It

Do something you haven't been able to make time for but want to do -- this is a great day to prep refill jars, research meatless recipes, plant seeds in egg cartons, sort your closet for donation, volunteer, or whatever good-for-the-world things you've been wanting to try!

🥳 Have Fun

Spend time doing things that cultivate your sense of play and rejuvenate your spirit. You'll be reminding yourself why life is worth fighting for, and exercising the part of your brain that can imagine and work toward a better future.

Spend time with family, friends, even pets! Nourish with activities like puzzles, crafts, cooking, or crafts – you can even knit or crochet a red resistance hat.

🗞️ Curate Your Media

This keeps coming up in UpRoot interviews with people doing good work in the world. Actively contributing to the world gives us more energy and positive feedback than doomscrolling. So consciously curating your media input is a powerful way to free up your time and energy – and curating it with an eye for actionable info is even better. You are literally setting yourself up to feel better and do better.

I like getting curated news from people I trust on Substack, so I can consciously choose to read that one thing, then continue on without the internet rabbit-hole.

Some of my favorites include What if We Get it Right?, The Crucial Years, and Good Climate News.

💪 Get Out There

Making community connections and feeling the sheer power of a group of people is nourishing, inspiring, and necessary for change. Use the time today to check out events coming up near you, make plans to go (and perhaps invite a friend or two), or stop by a local business that's open --not for shopping-- but for poster-making and community-building today.

FIND AN EVENT NEAR YOU

🔎 Not sure? Explore.

If you're looking at the above list and feeling overwhelmed, that's ok. Here are some resources to help you explore how you want to use your skills, knowledge, and passions to contribute today and onwards.

IDENTIFY YOUR ROLE | WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

🌟 BONUS 🌟 Inspire your space with my free poster!

You've probably seen my emails about my “Love is Power” campaign. I'm donating $1 for every free poster downloaded to VEAP.org, a food pantry dropping off food to Minneapolis families who can't leave their homes. Click to download below – you can use it as a digital background, or print and hang it up. I'm cheering you on!

CHOOSE YOUR FAVE COLOR