STRUGGLING POST-ELECTION? READ THIS.
Today marks one week since the 2024 election. For many, the stakes of this election felt incredibly high, even existential. Its results might have been unsurprising to some and utterly shocking to others. I have heard from my clients and experienced myself a great number of emotions in the election’s aftermath: grief, rage, devastation, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, helplessness, confusion, disappointment, numbness, to name a few. Amidst all this emotion exists a fundamental question – now what?
First, take care of yourself.
Among those of us for whom the election result was unwanted, it is common to feel the urge to jump straight to action. There will be time for action, but first I recommend giving yourself some time to feel, grieve, and process. Doing can be a way that we avoid sitting with the discomfort of our pain. Yet the pain is a reflection of our humanity; experiencing it is powerful and important.
How do you let yourself feel? Spend some time in nature, journal, create art, meditate, simply sit and follow your bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions as they rise and fade. Whatever you do, understand that the goal is not to “feel better” but rather to just honor your emotions, acknowledge them for what they are, and give them space to exist and move.
There is also great power in feeling and grieving collectively. Reach out to your community – those people with whom you feel safe and share values. Talk about how you are feeling with these people. Witness your grief and emotions reflected back to you, affirming that they are real and that you are not alone.
If you lack strong support or community, consider using therapy as a resource. Clients often ask me if it is appropriate to talk about politics in therapy. OF COURSE IT IS! Therapy is a space to bring anything that is having an effect on you, macro-level happenings included. While therapy sessions won’t directly change what is happening in the world, they can support your ability to process/grieve, connect with internal and external resources that can sustain you during hard times, and reduce anxiety you may feel about the direction the world is headed.
Some people will stay in this stage of feeling and processing for days, while others might find themselves here for weeks or months. There is no right or wrong. Try not to judge others if their process looks different from your own.
Next, reflect.
After you have felt and before you dive into action, think about pausing to differentiate real, meaningful action from illusive action. Staying perpetually immersed in the news cycle seems to have become equated with being an active, engaged citizen. But is it really? Does constantly consuming news, sharing news, arguing about news on social media platforms, etc. actually help people or does it just keep us in a chronic state of nervous system activation from which it is very difficult to do anything effective?
I don’t say this to judge or belittle anyone who has spent significant time in these ways. You were doing what felt right at the time and what our culture has held up as the way to show that you care and are involved in the world around you. Perhaps as we prepare to enter the next presidential era, however, we take time to evaluate whether this is still the way.
What does it cost you in terms of time, energy, stress, lost joy, physical wear and tear, and more to continue to ardently participate in current events in the digital world? How does that impact your ability to show up in the real world? And who benefits, particularly financially, from your passionate engagement online? Are there other ways that you can contribute to the wellbeing of the world without sacrificing your own wellbeing in the process?
Then, act.
Once you have sat with these questions and start to feel some clarity within yourself about how you can and want to participate in the work to make the world a safer, more just, more beautiful home for all humans, you have the ability to act with intention and purpose. There are any number of ways to play a meaningful part. On the whole, though, I would invite you to think about engaging more in the real world and less in the digital world. What could that look like?
Attend your local city council meetings.
Contact your elected officials to make your voice heard. Take it a step further and organize gatherings with your community to contact elected officials collectively and amplify your message.
Identify the causes you care most about. Find the organizations in your area that serve those causes. Volunteer your time or donate money to support their work.
Find local candidates you align with and volunteer for their campaigns during the next election cycle.
Volunteer for a local board or commission (google the name of your city/town and “boards and commissions” to get started).
I want to end by validating however you might feel right now. Change and uncertainty lie ahead, and they are difficult to sit with. But this is not an ending; it is a beginning. A chance to pause, reflect, unite, and rise up again, all in due time and in whatever ways make sense for you. Our efforts matter.
