I have to admit, this year I was super stressed about the election. I kept wondering who had the better chance of winning and what would be the aftermath of each candidate. I was so concerned about being able to keep my rights as a woman, keeping the department of education, and so much more. To say the least, the past couple of months and the week leading up to the election has caused me to feel an abundance of stress and anxiety.
This is actually kind of strange because I have NEVER felt like this before. I don’t know if it’s because I am actually able to vote now or maybe because I am now more educated on politics than I have been in the past. This election was super close and there have been many things said and done that are causing myself and others to worry. Let’s all take some time and slow down for a second. Stop worrying and care for yourself, because nobody else will. It is important to be involved in the world but yet also prioritize your health and well-being. I am here to give you some tips and ideas on how to deal with post-election stress because trust me…it is real.
Self-Care
Self-care is very important. It is very easy for us as humans to let that become less of a priority. Self-care can be a variety of tasks such as taking a nap, giving yourself positive affirmations, or simply making your favorite meal. When focusing on self-care, you want to find something that will be low-stress and, honestly, something that you enjoy doing. If you love to read, maybe go to the library and find a new book to start. If you don’t like reading and you want to just be at home, find something around the house that you can do to make you feel better. Self-care is the number one care and allows you to be in a better mood and mindset.
Counseling
For some reason, I feel like many people tend to shy away from going to counseling. Maybe this is because people don’t think they have anything to talk about. I am pretty confident that we all have something going on in our lives that either stresses us out or makes us upset. Like, for example, the election this week was very high stress and a life changing event that we all witnessed. Some may feel good, and some may be concerned about the results. Now, no matter what side you choose, we are all humans, humans who have emotions, humans who have opinions, and humans who are not perfect. Even if you believe you are perfectly fine, I highly recommend trying out counseling, because it may benefit you more than you realize.
From personal experience, I can say that at first I was iffy about going to counseling, and now I am proud to say that I went. I went to debrief about things happening in my life, to find coping strategies with anxiety, and to ultimately acknowledge who I am and the emotions I feel. It is so so important to come to an understanding about your feelings and emotions because they affect you in all shapes and forms. If you’re considering it, please let this be your sign to go try it, even if it is only for a couple sessions!
Control What You Can
On election night, I sat down in my living room alone with only my thoughts and stress surrounding me. So many thoughts, some that I have never realized until that day, filled my head and actually made me so anxious and upset. I do know that I am not the only person who felt that way, and there have been so many people around the world anticipating this election. Now, whenever I find myself in a stressful or difficult situation, I tend to take the time and call my mom. I am lucky to have the ability to call my mom and be able to tell her about my day or sometimes just rant. My mom usually always picks up the phone after the first couple rings no matter what time of day it is. When she answered, I simply just started to word vomit and talk about my stress regarding this year’s election. After saying what I had to say she said, “stop worrying about things that are not in your control and focus on the things that are.” This is definitely what I needed to hear in that moment because, for all this time, I was trying to fix things and focus on things that were out of my hands.
Go Touch Grass
Seriously, go touch some grass. Being outside is actually really good for you, not only physically but also mentally. Whether it is going for a walk, riding your bike, or sitting outside, these are all ways to help include nature and the outdoors when de-stressing. Being in the sunlight and surrounding yourself in nature can be so powerful and help you reduce your anxiety and stress levels. If you haven’t already, go outside when you can and take advantage of the nice weather while it is here.
Taking a Break From Social Media
This is honestly probably one of the biggest ways to help reduce stress. Leading up to the election and on Election Day, no matter what platform I was using, it was filled with politics and news. I was scrolling on Instagram and came across multiple different campaigns signs, and then I would go to Tik Tok and see basically the same thing. At one point, I literally set my phone down and went to watch a movie instead. Well, once I went into Hulu there it was… a huge picture of both candidates promoting their election campaigns. It was like I couldn’t escape this. Now, I totally understand and see the importance of this topic and the significance of voting if you’re able to. Sometimes, it comes to a point, though, when all of this news and politics becomes draining and overwhelming, especially if you are passionate about certain issues.