In looking over my Facebook feed and social media, I've noticed so many people voicing their overwhelm over the current Presidential race involving Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The comments reflect that stress levels are increasing, and friends, family, and colleagues are saying they feel triggered or frightened by one candidate or the other.
And it's coming from both sides. It strikes me that both sides are afraid of what the other candidate represents, and like never before, it feels like the fear is based on who the candidates fundamentally are, and not necessarily the platform they represent.
How to Find Your Inner Calm During this Chaotic Presidential Election
So, how do you find some calm, how do you recenter, and how do you find a little room to breathe this week? Here are a few of the ways:
1. Step back and take a break from the media, whether it be the news or social media. Give yourself a little breather, and some space or time away from the fervor. If you've found yourself checking the statistics or polls repeatedly, allow yourself the space to check in once a day. Checking the polls will not change the outcome, it only keeps you in a space of feeling helpless.
2. Take meaningful, responsible, impact-ful real life action based on what you feel overwhelmed about. My friend Michelle has been calling people to remind them to vote in conjunction with the candidate she is backing. My neighbors will be working the polling place. A client of mine is signing up to work for one of the campaigns (a great resume booster!). You can take action now, and have it be in support of one of the candidates, or around a cause that your heart feels drawn to.
3. Start speaking in ways that share what you support, and what you stand for, instead of what you are against. This places you in a space of empowerment, and allows you to focus on what you can control, and what you want to move towards. It places you in a proactive position, instead of being in a reactive stance of "fighting" against something.
4. If you are having strong emotions around one of the candidates or one of the causes, ask yourself "Why?" Get curious about what the emotion means, and what it may be telling you. It is natural to have strong emotions around things that come up in life; if they have become overwhelming, see this as an invitation to dig in and see why you are feeling what you do.
5. Know that we'll all get through this. Looking back, our country has survived through some pretty big changes. Our government was set up to weather change, and to be flexible as we grew and continue to grow. This feels uncomfortable (if not somewhat terrifying) as we rely on that fabric to get us through. It will happen, and real victory will come when we stay focused on our great-ness AND together-ness.
To hear more about finding your inner calm during this chaotic election, I invite you to listen to my podcast on the same topic, where I share 6 more ideas on how to recenter. You can find it on iTunes under Jump Start Your Joy.