Act Four: Taking care of yourself the weekend before the election

Some brief self-care suggestions.   Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   Julia Goldani Telles, Emma Dumont, Bailey Buntain, Kaitlyn Jenkins and Sutton Foster in “Bunheads.” (Adam Taylor via ABC FAMILY) If you’re at all like me, you’re probably feeling non-zero amounts of stress about how the presidential election on Tuesday will proceed, and what the results will be. And this coming weekend could go one of two ways. You could spend all your time frantically refreshing FiveThirtyEight and the Upshot and fraying your nerves into oblivion. Or this can be your last chance to rest and recharge so you can stay up as late as need be on Tuesday night. 1. Cook: I started cooking more frequently and ambitiously once I became a full-time critic, and watching television or movies and reading became endeavors that, rather than relaxing me, turned on the professional part of my brain. And in times of turmoil, I enjoy cooking for other people. If you’re looking for comfort-food inspiration, I’ve recently cooked and loved this pumpkin bread, which works equally well as muffins, this slow-cooker pulled pork, which vanished in a single dinner party leaving me with nary a leftover, and this white bolognese sauce. And this mac and cheese is the ultimate indulgence for when you really just need to eat all of your feelings. 2. Watch something fundamentally nice: As a form of election therapy, I’ve been introducing my husband to “Cheers,” which has its sarcastic and cutting moments, but is a show anchored by genuine decency. It’s amazing what genuinely upbeat pop culture can do when the world seems like a scary and upsetting place. This weekend would be a great time to binge the lovely ballet comedy “Bunheads.” Or to watch a romantic comedy such as “Love & Basketball” or the under-appreciated “Music & Lyrics.” Or to drown your sorrows over the troubled trajectory of CBS’s planned “Star Trek” show and immerse yourself in the original. We’ve gotten so used to the idea that the best pop culture critiques society that sometimes we forget that it shows us a better version of what the world could be. 3. Listen to Don Williams: I do not feel this way about many artists, but I am reasonably certain that Don Williams’s voice is a gift to us from an alternate dimension. “I’ve Been Loved By The Best” and “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” are automatic mood-lifters, and I will throw down with anyone who says otherwise. Plus, “Good Ole Boys Like Me” is a fantastic song about trying to reconcile a Southern past with a more cosmopolitan future. ADVERTISEMENT   ‘Zero Days’ director Alex Gibney on cyberwar, Russian interference in the election and secrecy A new documentary about cyberwarfare has become terrifyingly relevant. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘You’re The Worst’ just set the new standard for how to tell an abortion story Series creator Stephen Falk lived up to his feminist principles. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘Doctor Strange’s’ surprisingly thoughtful exploration of disability Hollywood has a terrible track record on disability. A new Marvel movie does better. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Looking for fiction about climate change? Pulp fiction is full of it — with a twist. People who long for heroic environmentalists in literature are missing the point: these characters make for great pulp villains. By Sonny Bunch  •  Read more »   How ‘Westworld’ managed to make a supposedly decadent orgy feel boring When explicit sex becomes a cable TV staple, the only really shocking thing left to depict is emotion. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Intersect The corner of the Internet and interesting, in your inbox weekly. Sign Up »         Share Act Four:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071