People are in very different places related to their views and
feelings about the election.
Some people
hold strong opinions about one candidate or another and others don’t care at
all and are just relieved that the commercials and pop up ads are going to end
soon. Life as a teenager is already
stressful and the election is just one more component that can be adding to the
stress in the lives of many students.I don’t know if we will wake up tomorrow knowing the outcome of
the election or if things will still be too close to call, but I do anticipate
that there will be LOTS of people on TV stirring up drama, emotions and stress. Remember, political talk has dominated social
media and the news for months leading up to today and so it is normal to expect
that this will continue in the months following the election as well. It is helpful to remember that ratings and
clicks matter to those working in the news media and while they are trying to
inform us about the news, they are also trying to boost their ratings at the
same time. As a result, it is important
to be careful to prevent yourself from getting sucked down into a dark place by
watching too much news or by engaging in unproductive, unhealthy
interactions.
How can you do this? By
staying present. Feel what you are
feeling – whatever that might be and allow those feelings to have the space in
your body and mind. Express those
feelings in ways that are safe, healthy and productive. Actively work to embrace and spread joy as a
way to counter the negativity born from the negative political battles. You control what you contribute to society,
which can be as simple as saying hi to your neighbor or holding open the door
for a stranger. You also control what
you do to help yourself. Below are some notes
from the Crisis Text Line on ways that you can help yourself during this
stressful time.
Acknowledge and accept your
feelings. It is completely normal to feel
stressed or disappointed. Recognize and accept these feelings and allow
yourself to process everything. If you’re sad, be sad.
Talk to others. Remember that you’re not the only person feeling this way. Try
not to isolate yourself and open up to someone you trust.
Write it down. If you don’t feel like talking, write it down. Pouring your
feelings out on paper is a good way to unravel your thoughts. If you don’t have
access to pen and paper, there are great journaling apps. Most phones also have
a “notes” feature you could use.
Unplug from the news and social
media. Put some space between yourself and
the election coverage to prevent an overload of emotions. It’s understandable
to want to be in the know, but set a timer for how long you’ll indulge in the
media. Invest your spare time into self-care instead.
Practice self-care. Self-care is extremely important in all aspects of life. This
could mean curling up with your favorite book, watching your favorite shows,
exercising, or taking a nice, long, bath. It can be anything as long as it is
an activity that disconnects your thoughts from current events.
Regarding self-care, I will add to that suggestion to at least do
the easy things – move your body, stretch and take some deep breaths. It sounds simple, but it makes a difference.
Over
time, as you work to understand and adjust to the stress and the election
outcomes, I would like to remind you that this is more of an “AND” situation –
not an “or” situation. You can be disappointed
about the outcome AND still have hope that better days will be ahead. You can be frustrated by the opposing beliefs
that someone else around you holds AND still choose to be accepting of them as
people. You can be relieved AND still
recognize that others are not feeling that same way. We all have individual responsibilities and steps to take to make
the world a better place – so please, in the weeks ahead, do nice things for
yourself and the people in your life including those who share your perspective
and those who do not.
Before I end, I want to share that part of what I love about my job
as a school counselor is that I get to know so many of you well. I love your passion, your intellect, your
interests, your excitement, and the fact that NONE of you are exactly like anyone
else. You each have your own unique
outlook and perspective. You each have
value that you contribute in ways that only you can. In my heart, in my office, and in our school, you are respected and appreciated for all of the diverse backgrounds,
ideas and outlooks that you hold. My greatest wish is that each of you will know
that YOU ALL MATTER HERE!
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