by Terri Bly, PsyD, LP

As you are no doubt aware, there was a presidential election in November, the outcome of which has many people feeling some feelings. While we recognize that for some people, these feelings might be pleasant ones, we also know many of you aren’t doing so great. If you fall into the latter group, now might be a good time to learn how to manage your post-election emotions effectively, so you can live your life without being in constant freak-out mode, even if the events triggering them don’t improve (or worsen) as time goes on. 
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Understanding Post-Election Emotions

The last three elections, at a minimum, have been portrayed in the media and online as very high-stakes. Whether this is accurate is beside the point: when we believe the stakes are high, we will have strong emotions about the outcome. The extreme rhetoric often used in the media, and dire predictions designed to grab your attention, can easily create feelings of panic, despair, hopelessness, frustration, or even apathy. Add to that the aggressively combative tone of discourse that has become the norm (exhibit A: literally any comment section below any post or article remotely political), and it’s hard not to feel like your emotions are constantly being set on fire. 

Your emotional response will also depend on factors such as your values and priorities, religious beliefs, aspects of your identity (sexual orientation, gender, race, etc), socioeconomic status, and so on. The extent to which your family and social support system share similar values with you will also contribute to how you are feeling; being surrounded by people with a vastly different worldview can feel isolating. Lastly, if you’ve already been struggling with your mental health, your emotional reactions to political uncertainty may be more intense than if you entered this new era without any preexisting mental health concerns. 

Practical Strategies for Managing Post-Election Emotions

Let’s say you’ve noticed the election results are negatively affecting your emotional and mental health. How do you manage that? After all, the election is only the beginning, not the end, of the story. You may continue to experience emotions like panic, despair, hopelessness, frustration, apathy, and anger as the months and years progress. And yet, you still have a job to go to, classes to attend, relationships to nurture, a life to live. Spending all your waking hours fighting the urge to hide under the covers is neither healthy nor practical. 

This does not mean you should stick your head in the sand and pretend everything is awesome. Rather, it’s about recalibrating your emotions so that every update in the news doesn’t cause you to spiral. We need to allow moments of enjoyment into our lives, even if it means occasionally setting aside what’s happening outside our immediate environment.

Here are some tangible action steps you can take to keep your wits about you as the political climate goes through some significant changes in the coming months: 

    1. Limit Media Exposure.

      During times of political upheaval, we may feel compelled to doom-scroll on the regular, convinced we must stay informed about important matters at all times. In reality, however, there is only so much you need to know to be a responsible citizen. After that, you are likely only making yourself feel worse, with little to no upside. The more we focus our attention on problems we cannot fix, the more likely we are to become anxious and depressed. Consider setting a time limit on how much news or social media you consume each day, and try sticking to neutral sources, rather than ones relying on click-bait and “the sky is falling” rhetoric to grab your attention. If you’re not sure where various media outlets fall on the political/sensational spectrum, here is Harvard University’s regularly updated guide for your reference. 

    2. Practice Mindfulness.

      Grounding yourself in the present moment is going to be a useful skill if you can already tell your emotions will be heightened in the coming months and years. Mindfulness helps us connect with the here and now, observing what is happening in us and around us without reacting to it, so that we can decide what to focus on. It teaches us that, most of the time, nothing “bad” is happening to us in this moment, which means we can breathe, allow our body to relax, and take a bird’s eye view of the situation.

    3. Engage in Constructive Conversations.

      If you decide to converse with people who have a different take on the election outcome, it is best to approach these chats with curiosity and a genuine interest in trying to understand their point of view, rather than looking for an opportunity to correct, judge, or demean them. After all, the best way to change someone’s mind is first to make sure they feel heard. That doesn’t mean agreeing with them – it just means letting them know you are listening. Consider using some of the resources currently available to help people have constructive conversations with friends and family members with different political perspectives.

    4. Focus on Local Actions.

      As I mentioned earlier, the more we devote our attention to events and situations outside our control, the worse we will feel. Instead, consider getting involved in local events that align with your values. Whether it’s local political committees, volunteering with an organization that is addressing issues you are concerned about, or just helping people who are struggling, you are more likely to feel empowered and energized, rather than paralyzed and hopeless.

    5. Seek support when needed.

      If you find yourself getting stuck inside your own head, ruminating at all hours of the day and night, unsure how to distract yourself from unhelpful trains of thought, you will probably benefit from talking with others about what’s on your mind. Whether you turn to your support system, a support group, or a trained mental health professional, finding a place to air your scarier thoughts and feelings can help take some of their power away. As we like to say in Therapy Land: Name it to tame it!

 

The Role of Therapy in Emotional Regulation

In addition to providing a safe space to air your thoughts and emotions about pretty much anything, therapy can also help you learn how to respond to your internal experiences constructively and without allowing them to hijack your entire day. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, for example, is an evidence-based approach involving the use of mindfulness and other techniques to become less reactive to negative thoughts and emotions, allowing you to focus more of your attention on the things that truly matter to you. Additionally, the widespread availability of online therapy allows you to find support even when you can’t bring yourself to leave the house. 

Building Emotional Resilience for Future Events

Regardless of how the next four years play out, the election and its aftermath are unlikely to be the only challenging situations you will face. After all, pain and adversity are a part of life for all of us. One way to look at the current distress you are experiencing is as an opportunity to learn new approaches for handling adversity, so that you are even better equipped to navigate difficult situations in the future. To be clear, I am not telling you to view the election results in a more positive light. What I am saying is this won’t be the only time you are faced with painful or scary stuff. By facing the current challenges head-on, and learning how to manage strong negative emotions, you will feel more confident in your ability to withstand adversity in the future.   

Conclusion

Since there is more than enough bad news to go around these days, let me wrap up this post with some good news: Throughout our existence, humans have had to deal with just about every form of adversity that exists under the sun (often many times over). We have learned countless lessons from these experiences, not the least of which is that even the darkest chapters in history do not last forever. 

We’ve also learned how to weather life’s storms and come out stronger on the other side. One of the most time-tested strategies for building strength and resilience is seeking support from our fellow humans. We do better when we don’t try to white-knuckle it through life’s challenges alone. And while therapy is not the only option for support and guidance, having a professional listener in your corner can provide meaningful benefits as you prepare for the months ahead. 
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