There are six days left until the election in the United States. I don't think it is arrogant to say that the election is a big day for the world, not just for American citizens and American democracy. It has been a fractious campaign, for the presidential election as well as many other offices that are up for re-election this fall. For many, it has been a long waiting game, like a long roller coaster ride of fear, anxiety and hope.
Now that we are all on the tail end of the roller coaster election ride, it might feel even more intense. Like that roller coaster where you soar straight up, then fly backwards, back and forth like a pendulum picking up pace with each swing. It is more intense and can increase our anxiety even more as we count the days. So, let's try NOT counting the days.
What can we do in these last few days? Again, psychology has a few things to help us.
First, don't glue yourself to the news. Avoid the temptation to plug into the drama and crazy antics of the last few days.
Next, don't count down the days. It would be easy to get up each morning and remind yourself of how many days are left until the election has concluded. Trust me, I have done it. But, avoid that temptation. It starts the day, or ends the day, on a negative note. It may initially feel good, as I know most election years I am tired of the ads and conversations, and am typically happy to have election day come and go, with our democratic system working like a mostly well oiled machine. This year is it more like a train running unabated down the tracks, full speed ahead, about to end in a massive train wreck called the days that follow election day. So, no, let's not count the days until the train wrecks. That is stressful and doesn't change the fact that the train is heading full speed into potential disaster.
Don't catastrophize. It is easy to do this. Trust me, I have done some of it myself. What if... and what if.... and oh no, what if.... It is one thing to consider what might happen and to plan for those things. In any case, not just a chaotic election, preparation is a wise strategy. But, catastrophizing doesn't replace or encourage planning, typically. It is more likely to manifest in rumination: like replaying a frightening scene in a movie over and over again. It heightens our anxiety, impacts our mood and our sleep, and thus, impacts our immune system. Research suggests that most of the things we worry about never come to fruition, so why waste precious energy worrying about all those negative outcomes unnecessarily. Focus on more positive things instead.
Act. If you CAN vote, do it. You won't regret doing your part. Encourage others to vote, too. You don't have to invest in persuading them to vote in a particular way, those days have pretty much passed. Most people at this point already know how they are going to vote, or would vote if they chose to. So, encourage everyone to use their right as a citizen, their duty really, to vote.
Distract. Find other things to do. Stay busy. It will help keep your mind off of the deluge of insanity that fills the news right now. Predictions are interesting, but most of them right now are stressful and won't help us change the course of the next few days and weeks.
Be kind to yourself and others. This sort of chaos right now is very divisive, and it can cause us to behave in ways that are not very nice. Let's avoid that. There is enough of that going on already. Kindness has a way of easing our anxiety, lowering our cortisol (stress hormones) and increasing our oxytocin (the bonding hormone, the cuddle hormone, the social hormone that encourages us to reach out to those we care about, to act generously, and remember, it heals the damage done to the heart by excess cortisol).
That is it for today. Let's keep things simple in our lives for the next few days and weeks.
Be well, stay safe, and take care.