Dealing with Election (or any kind of) Stress

DEALING WITH ELECTION (OR ANY KIND OF) STRESS

Every one of us is confronted with events in our lives that are challenges to accept/overcome/resolve.  We might say they cause us stress.  The reason I say it that way is that we have options concerning how we view/perceive the events in our lives.  Briefly, we have a choice to make when we experience events.  Those things don’t come with a pre-defined definition or point of view.  When something happens, we can’t change the event, but our perspective determines our feelings and we do have control over that.  We can call an event or series of events “stressful” or we can re-label them differently, for example; “something/s I need to give attention to, respond to, take care of, let go of, accept, have no control over,” “thing/s I can handle one at a time,” “this is about someone/something else, not about me.”  The only rule is that you must be able to believe the new perspective, it must be true for you.  Once you redefine your perspective, you will find that your feelings change mostly for the better.

With respect to the election, this is a specific example of a potentially “stressful” event.  We can use some of the previous techniques to redefine the event.  Examples for this particular event; “people have differing views,” “I accept whatever happens because it is out of my control,” “everyone has their own frame of reference/history/beliefs that determine their perspective,” “I can disagree and still respect others’ views,” etc.  For each of us there may be a different view or perspective we can adopt that will remove the “stress” attached to the situation.

Be aware of general strategies we can all use to reduce “stress.”  Here are some:

• Take breaks for watching the “news.”
• Do things to relax yourself.
• Get out of the house for a walk.
• Spend time on fun hobbies.
• Talk to relatives or friends.
• Listen to your favorite soothing music.
• Connect to your spiritual beliefs.
• Let go.
• Get enough sleep.
• Eat right.
• Recognize and write your gratitudes and blessings.
• Help somebody else or volunteer for a cause.
• Watch a comedy movie.
• Pet a dog or cat.
• Breathe deeply.
• Get a massage.
• Take a nap.
• Get counseling.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.  Find what works for you.  We can help if your situation is complex or overwhelming.  We are providing Zoom encrypted online counseling sessions.  Call for more information.