Don't let politics control your life

I've been coming to Costa Rica for the last 16 years.

Every year, I meet several US and Canadian expats who tell me they moved to Costa Rica (or plan to move soon) to escape politics. I hear this every year, regardless of which party is in power.

Most people have strong opinions about each political party and are eager to tell you what they like about their party or person and what they don't like about the other party or person.

With all the discussions about politics, I've never seen anyone change someone's mind.

Ask yourself

How much do politics really affect your life? If you didn't read about or watch the news, would you know which party was in power based on how things were going in your day-to-day life?

If you don't have anything to do, I can see how keeping up with politics could be like watching a soap opera. There's always suspense and something important is about to happen.

At least, the news media portrays what's about to happen as being extremely important.

If you enjoy following politics for entertainment, go for it, but don't let yourself get pulled into it to the point where it controls your life.

I hear people say all the time that they get tired of listening to it. If you do, there's no reason you have to. And you definitely don't have to move to a different country just to avoid listening to comments about politics.

Get real. You can tune out politics anytime you want to

I see politics like sporting events. It's easy to get hooked on and pulled into both—even to the point where they control your life.

My mother and I used to ride together to the polls to vote. We voted for different candidates and used to joke and say, "Why don't we both stay home? What do we accomplish by voting when we vote for different candidates?"

Bottom line: Like most people, I have strong opinions about a lot of things and people in politics, and I vote in every election. But I don't spend a lot of time reading about or watching news about political things every day. I stay informed enough to know who I want to vote for, and that's it.