5 tips for coping with post-election stress
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The election has been the topic of conversation for months. This has been amplified by social media and 24 hour news channels, live feeds, tweets, and an inability to disconnect from it all. If you have a landline, the seemingly never ending political calls, may have been just about enough to push you over the edge.
But now it's over. The results are in. The decision has been made. What if you're not happy about it? Emotions run high and it can be difficult to cope. Ken Yeager, PhD, who leads Ohio State's Stress, Trauma and Resilience Program, offers a few tips for coping with your disappointment.
5 tips for coping with the post-election blues
1. Reconnect with friends and family.
Reduce time on social media, take a break from your devices and reconnect with your community and family (the real thing not the virtual online connection.)
2. Commit to doing something to make a positive difference in your community.
You have the power to do something incredible for your community that the president doesn't know about or have the ability to directly impact. But you do!
3. Seek local change.
If you have concerns or complaints about the political system, see what actions you can take at a local level to implement local change.
4. Talk about it.
If you have concerns about the outcome of the election and this is impacting relationships with family and friends, talk with them about it. If there are concerns about economic or health issues ask how you can help.
5. You have power.
Feeling helpless is a choice. If you do nothing and complain, then you can expect very little to change in your world. If you choose to be active and enact change in your community then you will become part of the process. Be open-minded about next steps, understanding that governing is more of a process than it is an event.
And the best news? We get our regular television commercials back and our landlines will stop ringing every 10 minutes! We will be able sit back and watch history unfold – and be a part of helping to shape the future in our own communities if we choose to do so.