How are you feeling? How are you really feeling? Going into the Nov. 5, 2024 election, a Harris Poll commissioned by the American Psychological Association found that 77% of Americans surveyed were significantly stressed about the future of the country. So, it’s safe to say that not everyone was cool about Tuesday’s voting outcomes. In fact, a lot of people are probably feeling stressed, down and even despondent about what may happen.
So what do you do if you are feeling down? How do you make sure you take care of what should be your number one priority—your health? Well, here are 10 things to do:
1. Realize That You Are Not Alone And Seek The Company Of Others Who Truly Care About You
Unless you voted for a write-in candidate like The Hulk, the “Flying Spaghetti Monster,” Supergirl or “the fly on Mike Pence’s head,” you probably voted for a candidate that many, many other people voted for as well. Therefore, chances are you’re not alone in how you feel—no matter how alone you may feel right now. That means you probably have others you can turn to talk. Beware of those who won’t allow you to express your true feelings and opinions, though. Engaging with them could make you feel worse.
2. Consider Stepping Away From The News And Social Media
Now that the election is done, there’s going to be a lot of speculation as to what might happen once power in the country changes hands. Lots of people will weigh in with many different opinions. But they will all have one thing in common: they do not know what will happen.
Look at how wrong many of those so-called pundits were about the election, proving once again no one has a crystal ball that can accurately predict the future. Being wrong certainly won’t stop the pundits from coming up with even more predictions that could keep you unnecessarily riled up, fearful or downtrodden. Remember, the purposes of many of these message is to get your attention, and selling fear can do that.
3. Try Not To Catastrophize
Sure, you may have legitimate concerns about what new leadership may do. Sure, it’s important for all U.S. citizens to be vigilant about what any political leader does. Sure, it doesn’t take that much for a country to descend into totalitarianism. Sure, you should never assume that your current rights and the resources will always be there.
But there’s a difference between being vigilant and taking steps to protect your rights versus assuming the worst will happen and curling up into a ball. You can always catastrophize and identify worst case scenarios behind everything that happens in life. Heck, the next time you go to the store, a blimp could fall on you.
4. Realize That Politicians Are Politicians And Don’t Necessarily Represent The People
Keep in mind what many politicians have on primarily on their minds—themselves, themselves and… let’s see, what else? Oh, themselves. Therefore, try not to give them more time and attention than they deserve. After all, they probably wouldn’t do so for you, would they? Don’t hang on their every word and follow whatever they say like a fangirl or fanboy. This is especially true if they tell you to hate other people, which could make you feel even more fearful, bitter and isolated.
5. Try Treating Politicians Like Babies Or Cartoon Characters
Remember the movie The Waterboy, when the coach played by Henry Winkler was afraid of the opposing coach and overcame this fear by visualizing that coach as a baby? How about doing the same with all these oh-look-how-big-my-whatever-is political characters? After all, just because someone looks all grown-up doesn’t mean they will behave that way. You can also picture them as cartoon characters such as Mr. Burns from The Simpsons or Chester Cheetah.
6. Practice Self-Care And Do Things That Make You Happy
It can be tempting to drown your sorrows in alcohol or Nutella. While a little indulgence may be OK, don’t end up punishing your mind and body. Again, these politicians are not worth it. Don’t forget to do what you need to do to maintain your health, like doing the appropriate health checks and seeing your doctor. Try to get enough sleep, eat well and stay physically active. At the same time, do things that make you happy, unless, of course, this means consuming 10 jars of Nutella.
7. Put Things In Perspective And Take Them Day By Day
Again, the future is always full of uncertainty. You never know for sure what will happen next month, next week or even in the next hour. Even if your favorite candidate had won, that alternative reality wouldn’t necessarily have been all unicorns, lollipops and rainbows. The only thing you know for sure is what’s happening here and now.
8. Use This As A Learning Experience. Don’t Keep Yourself In An Echo Chamber
Treat everything as a learning experience, especially the hard times, to help yourself become stronger and grow. That’s why you lift weights and not cotton balls to strengthen your muscles. One thing that should be crystal clear by now is that not everyone out there thinks the same way and has had the same experiences as you. Respect our country’s diversity. Ignoring differing opinions is going to keep you in an ineffective echo chamber.
Another thing that should be clear is that many people have not been happy about the state of the U.S. and its direction for quite a while. Now, there may be arguments about when problems originated—such as years, decades or even centuries before—and who’s to blame. But to believe that things have been peachy keen for everyone would be having a fruitcake view of the country.
Also, don’t believe that your favorite candidate and party could do no wrong. If they lost then significant changes need to made. Otherwise, expect more of the same losses in the future. And if they won, don’t believe they won because everyone agreed with everything they’ve said and done.
9. Take Action Instead of Playing The Victim Role
It can be easy to take the woe is me stance and blame everything around you that can’t be easily be changed. Saying things like “people are stupid” or “there’s nothing you can do about the powers that be” or the such and such “controls everything” can be sort of like blaming everything on your cat and cast you in the victim role.
Instead, think about how you can change things, even in little ways. For example, learn more about the political process and what may happen, raise awareness of these things via social media posts and other channels, do what you can to combat misinformation and disinformation, support the people and organizations fighting for people’s rights, science, facts, justice and society. You’d be surprised at how little things can add up and make a big difference when done consistently over time. Heck, who knows, you could even run for office yourself some day.
10. Know When You May Need Professional Help
If you are finding all this post-election stuff too much to handle, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides info on how to get such help, including the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) that’s available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET. If you find yourself not able to function or having any thoughts of harming yourself, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline as soon as possible. Again, no politician is worth hurting yourself over.
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