3 Steps To Getting Rid of Election Anxiety
Election night was soooo long. My hubby and I stayed up until 1am on election night and there still was no winner declared. Just like a gazillion other Americans, I woke up and still the presidency hung in the balance. We are on day two and there’s no winner declared. The feelings of stress, uncertainty and for many pure shock of how close this election is all bottled under election anxiety. Not sure what’s going to happen and when has many consistently sucked into the news cycle.
Here are three steps to rid yourself of election anxiety:
1.Remove your WHOLE Self from the 24 hour news cycle.
TURN THE TV OFF! Push the off button and walk away. Nothing has developed since the last five minutes since the political newscaster zoomed in on the 2016 election and votes cast yesterday. And while you at it put the phone down even if only for an hour. Say it with me DISCONNECT. You need a break from all the feelings of this election. And watching every moment to know the exact moment Pinky Toe County population of 15 of Tiny Foot state population 100 count their votes in favor of the potential future President Cloud. If you voted, there’s nothing more you can do to change the outcome. You have to let go and let God.
That includes the computer and the phone. Just shut it all down.
2.Go to your happy place both figuratively and literally- AND go often.
Take a moment to pause and close your eyes while deep breathing in order to relax for a moment. Now that the TV is off, use the silence to relax and calm your nerves. I find myself doing a quick 5 minute pause often with the #2livecrew in during their moments when they rattle off demands like mommy has 8 arms and legs to accomplish both lists in a seconds notice. Also try taking this pause before sending the most epic clap back to a coworker who has not followed previous instructions. It’s easy for the anxiety to transfer to frustration/crankiness in other parts of your life. Then when you get a chance, go to your physical happy place. Rather that’s a prayer closet, a she Shed, or a tee pee (This is #2live crew’s Happy Place) go to the place that is calming for you. My happy place for yesterday and today will be sitting outside in my back yard while the kids play with bubbles. The fresh air, tease of springlike weather, and my unmanicured toes (save the judgement eyes) in sandals soaking up the sun allows me to calm down and to stay in the present.
3.Finally actually do some self care.
Use this space not to redirect to other tasks but on something that will bring joy. What would you do if you didn’t have to take care of hubby/kids/family, to work or a to do list a mile long haunting your thoughts? What activities bring you real joy, peace, happiness? For me, I enjoy reading but never make time to do so. I turned the tv off, took deep breaths, enjoyed playtime outside for a bit and then read a book. Today, I plan on reading a fashion magazine, ordering new decor for my bedroom and trying a new hair style for self care time.
This is their happy place. Reading and iPad time happens here. I’ll have a post on next week with some of their favorite books.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to make light of a huge issue. The thought of a large mass of America voting for a person that perpetuates hate, racism, misinformation and any other divisive topic imaginable is disheartening. And we haven’t even discussed the lack of respect for this position that he has demonstrated numerous times throughout his presidency. I’m just trying to help folks think about the long game. Regardless of who becomes the next president there is plenty of work to do. And it’s definitely easier said than done to stop refreshing news feeds every 10 minutes for any election updates. But the real work begins after the dust settles and the leaders are confirmed. Don’t get burned out in worrying before the opportunity to work towards change can happen.
When the fascination of the bubbles wore off (15 minutes later😳), they decided to show off their “super cat speed”. Beanie words not mine.