By the time you read this article, there’s a solid chance that election results are in. Florida probably has been called and we may have a pretty good idea of who is winning (if Biden wins Florida there’s a 99% chance he wins). Personally, my emotions have been incredibly on edge lately. I’ve been listening to my dad watch CNN nonstop! I helped my dad canvass for Clinton in 2016, and came home on election day distraught. This year I’ve spent many hours text-banking for Joe Biden, in addition to other Democrats and proposals, so obviously my anxiety and stress has been skyrocketing! Thankfully, I’ve compiled a list of mental health tools for after elections, because we will need it.
First, I recommend journaling after elections (and always). Journaling can help your mental health in various ways, like reducing stress, boosting your mood, and helping your immune system! We’re all going to have a multitude of emotions after this stressful time. A pandemic, elections, and the fight for some massive systemic change aren’t easy to cope with, but we can at least find healthy ways of expressing those emotions. Journaling allows you to say how you feel without judgement, and it also lets us gain empathy for others.
Secondly, mindfulness, yoga, and meditation are all good ways to relax your mind and body. I personally have never been good at these, but I keep trying because I know that the goal is to destress and improve both my mental and physical health. The realm of these activities is complex, so instead, I’ll leave you with all these resources on the best music, podcasts, and YouTube videos to learn about these relaxing activities.
My last suggestion is therapy, which is… probably exactly what we all expected. I get it, therapy seems a bit extreme for election results, but the truth is that these results could result in loss of healthcare, rights to bodily autonomy, climate change disasters, blatant white supremacy, and loss of LGBTQIA rights. These issues are enough to affect our well-beings and lives monumentally. We deserve to have safe spaces to talk about these things, which therapy and support groups offer. I suggest finding an affordable psychologist on Psychology Today, using university resources like CAPS, or joining cheap groups to find a therapist like the Open Path Collective. Podcasts and apps are other resources that can also be helpful. Other resources include mental health Podcasts, apps, and more!
Overall, these next few weeks, months, and years could be challenging. This country is going through a massive change in beliefs and tensions are high. However, we all deserve some self-care and self love. We deserve good mental health, and we deserve change. So whatever makes you feel better, whether it be face masks, positive mirror notes, music, running, walking, or my suggestions, you should definitely do it. We need to be as mentally healthy as possible if we want to actively fight for change in the long run! This is OUR country, and we deserve to be heard and helped.