I think it is safe to say there is one bipartisan opinion we can all agree on—the 2016 election cycle took days, if not years, off of our lives, strung us into more drama than we ever experienced in high school, and we’ve been counting down its end since the conventions.
As a Millennial who could finally vote in a Presidential election, boy has it been a roller coaster of an experience. From the initial excitement of primary season—getting to study candidates and feel out whom you thought could best help our futures to come to a seemingly unreal Trump nomination, followed by the sad farewell of “Feeling the Bern.” After that, it seems to all be a blur and I want to leave it that way as we finally have reached the end of a long, long road complete with various peaks and valleys, twists and turns, and that final fork in the road that led us to the polls.
As I am writing this, I am focusing on not the outcome of the election, but on the simple fact that it is FINALLY over. So, before we can celebrate or commiserate on the outcome, let us all just take a moment to memorialize the end of this circus.
1. Treat yourself.
You probably deserve a stiff drink, or ten, after watching a long, tumultuous night of vote counting. If alcohol isn’t your first choice, maybe indulge in a tub or ice cream, large pizza, or just a couple hours of pure silence to distress after all the madness.
2. Get away.
Enough about the USA. Book the next flight out to somewhere tropical and let the distressing thoughts of the election melt away in the sun and by the waves while drinking a tropical beverage in the comfort of a foreign land.
3. Take a TV hiatus.
Although the election cycle is over, you might want to wait a while for the results to cool down. Don’t risk hearing another word if that’s what you wish. Watch strictly streaming services without ads and go on a week long Netflix binge to decompress.
4. Wave your flag.
Although your decision was most likely not easy, or you were even tempted to not vote, be proud of yourself for going to the polls and voting for what you believe in. The right to vote is something people fought for, for years. After all, Franklin D. Roosevelt did say, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
5. Enjoy the next four years, but do your research.
We can all hope that the next presidential term is way smoother, logical, and productive that its election cycle. So enjoy that time away from the tumultuous cycle, and think about how we are going to prevent this from happening four years from now. Inform yourself now, get more involved in how our government works and target those areas and issues you feel most strongly about. Maybe if we all take this responsibility more serious, we can avoid the drama and get down to the issues from day one.
GIFs courtesy of Giphy