appalachian

Stop doomscrolling! Instead, watch Margo MacSweeney perform on her front porch

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Hobbledehoy fav Margo MacSweeney and her little brother Misha pick out a little “Reuben’s Train.”

It is important to acknowledge that feeling overwhelmed by stressful political events is a natural reaction. Practicing kindness toward yourself helps build resilience. The Hobbledehoy advises a regular dose of the delightful musician Margo MacSweeney.

Margo is a young “Old Timey” musician who lives in Floyd County, Virginia. Margo enjoys playing fiddle, banjo, and guitar and singing and buckdancing old time traditional music from Southwest Virginia. She is a part of The Handmade Music School at The Floyd Country Store

Here’s what you need to avoid:

  • Political stress or anxiety: This describes the intense emotional and physical tension, worry, or unease that many people experience in response to political events, debates, and divisive information.
  • Political stress syndrome (PSS): This term is sometimes used to describe the collection of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, that are directly linked to political events and discourse. It is important to note that this is a recognized phenomenon, though not a formal clinical diagnosis.
  • News anxiety: A more specific term, this describes the stress and worry caused by the constant, overwhelming influx of news from various sources, including the 24/7 news cycle and social media.
  • Doomscrolling: This refers to the habit of endlessly scrolling through negative news and social media content, which can worsen anxiety and overwhelm.

John Renbourn “The Cuckoo”

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“The Cuckoo” is a traditional English folk song, also sung in the United States, Canada, Scotland and Ireland. The song is known by many names, including “The Coo-Coo”, “The Coo-Coo Bird”, “The Cuckoo Bird”, “The Cuckoo Is a Pretty Bird”, “The Evening Meeting”, “The Unconstant Lover”, “Bunclody” and “Going to Georgia”. In the United States, the song is sometimes syncretized with the other traditional folk song “Jack of Diamonds”. Lyrics usually include the line (or a slight variation): “The cuckoo is a pretty bird, she sings as she flies; she brings us glad tidings, and she tells us no lies.”

This track is from singer/guitarist John Renbourn’s brilliant “Faro Annie” album, which often takes a folk-rock approach on American folk songs.