Updated Feb 15, 2021
I think we can all admit that the past few months have been a trying time for everyone, no matter what your political affiliations are. We have all being rocked and shaken to the core in one form or another. Looking about, I feel a lot of people have a “deer caught in the headlights” kind of life.
A better explanation might be a Groundhog day kind of feel. We are all stuck in a rut and keep repeating the days over and over because we are exhausted and overwhelmed by all that is happening in the world.
The pandemic has completely brought the world to its knees. I can’t help but wonder how much longer this will go on for, vaccine or no vaccine. Mental health is something we all need to worry about in this trying times.
Here are a few ways for you to recharge after this election hangover.
How to recharge after the election and love hangover:
Disconnect:
This might be the hardest thing to do for all of us, but l feel it is the most important. It’s important to accept the fact, no matter how much it pains you, that “Life goes on without you”. Sorry to break it to you, but indeed it does.
You need to disconnect from the toxic news, the toxic people and definitely social media. It might be impossible to do all of it due to your job, but you can cut down considerably on time spent watching disheartening news.
You can stop checking your Facebook page every other minute. You can stop posting your life update, and definitely take a break from the selfies. Do yourself a favor. Stop making yourself feel worse by constantly being reminded of how much fun your friends are having on vacation, their newly purchased car, house, etc.
Reflect:
After disconnecting, make sure to reflect on both your past actions, your present, and especially your future actions. You’ve heard the saying that those who don’t learn from their past mistakes are doomed to repeat it.
If you can look at how you got to where you’re at objectively, it becomes easier to make the necessary changes and assure a better outcome that is a lot better than your present situation. You might accomplish this by keeping a journal, either online or the old school way .
Nothing helps like seeing things in black and white. For example, you might discover that your life isn’t so bad, but whenever you check a friend’s update and see that she is dining at yet another five star restaurant for the fifth time in a week while you’re brown bagging it, your happiness takes a nose dive and you get discouraged.
This might be just the evidence you need to unfollow that person. Think about your relationship. Is it good or bad? Are you in it because you don’t want to be alone? Are you doing it for everyone else but you?
Relax:
Take care of your well being. For you to make better judgement, you have to be in a good place physically, as well as mentally. Take time out to get to know yourself. Valentine’s Day especially, can be a hard one for singles.
A lot of people can’t stand their own company which is really sad. You need to get to know yourself. Find out what a wonderful person you are and why others like to be around you. I got married at the age of 42 so l had plenty of time to be single in between relationships.
I loved it, and even now, l still take time out to enjoy my own company. Read a book, get a massage, get your hair done. Listen to your favorite music while walking. Love and treasure yourself.
Reconnect Prudently:
Now that you have cleared the cobwebs in your head, it’s a great time to reconnect. You don’t have to do it all at once either. I, for instance, used to post on Instagram everyday and enjoyed getting those likes. A high for sure.
Nowadays, I post every 6 days, and you know what? My world hasn’t fallen apart 🙂 . If anything, the anxiety is eliminated. Think about friendships that were fractured during the election, or a love spat. Can you forgive? Are any of them salvageable?
Can you reconnect, or should you let sleeping dogs lie? You may choose to keep on ignoring social media or distance yourself a bit more than normal for your own well being. These are just a few suggestions to help you recharge after this election and love hangover.
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Wrapping it up:
No one knows what will happen in the near future. Questions like will the borders open again for travel?, will you be able to visit family? will your turn for the vaccine ever come? Will life ever return to normal (pre covid days)?
While you may not know the answers, you can definitely handled things better mentally by saving your sanity. You can only control your mental health and coping mechanisms. Worrying about things beyond your control will only stress you out, and make things worse.
We have been subjected to a pandemic that hopefully will be just once in our lifetime. Keep reminding yourself that this too shall pass. It’s not just another cliche :-). See you on the other side.
How do you handle recharging after a disastrous event?
Disconnecting is indeed very hard…I’ve been trying to do just that these past few weeks but my brain has just been going, going, going. The world is just becoming a frighteningly insecure place and everything going on has me on a sort of ‘edge’ where I can’t seem to shut down, even for awhile. Reading this was such a welcome reminder.
I think pretty much everyone is suffering from the same malady. I get even more discouraged because so called experts clearly have no clue what they are doing. We are living in uncharted times. Just realize you’re not alone, and take small steps. We’ll get through this 🙂
U stated a lot of interesting facts! I never thought about it that way 🙂
We’re all thinking the same thing, in a state of flux.. I do find it interesting.
I have to cut everything off and veg out on wine and Netflix. It keeps me sane and I get a few naps in the process.
Haha! I like the wine part. We’ve also come to love Netflix for vegging out 🙂
These are great tips. I haven’t disconnected in a WHILE. It’s touch working in a digital space, but it is definitely necessary sometimes.
Thanks Jo. I think we all need to do it for our sanity. It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the digital world. Go ahead…unplug and recharge :-).
This was an excellent article. Disconnecting from everything is a tactic we all can use.
Most definitely. Very needed :-).
Thanks for sharing these great tips, it’s important to disconnect for a while, especially in today’s society.
We need to do it for our sanity. I need to remind myself of that sometimes. Thanks for reading.
Great tips, but can we really recharge after this election with this clown doing something on a daily basis?
Haha! It definitely makes it harder for sure, but we have to try :-). One thing for sure, he is probably enjoying our misery!, so deny him that.
Great Tips! I usually disconnect for a while! And focus on things close to me like family and then come back around to everyone else later.
Family is definitely important for keeping us sane :-). I’m glad you disconnect when needed. Everything else can wait :-).
I have definitely done some of the things you have mentioned. At one point the news was just making me ill. I try to take a break several times a week now. I just can’t do the news every single day.
You’re doing it right. A steady diet of the news can definitely do you in, especially the news these days. Good for you for knowing when to detach yourself.
OMG. I am here for everything you said in this piece. I was just thinking about how hard I’ve been going since inauguration and it just might be time for a recharge…
It’s great that you recognize the need to recharge. It is sorely needed for most people. This election has really done a number on everyone. Go ahead, step back and recharge. It will do you a world of good :-).
This is it “take time out to enjoy my own company.” We get so caught with EVERYTHING else and lose us in the process.
Well put. We do tend to forget about ourselves and we are the most important part of the process :-). Others can enjoy us only after we learn to enjoy ourselves. I firmly believe that. 🙂
This is true, research has shown that social media can make a person sad and depressed because of what they see regardless if its the truth or not. I def addicted to FB, I need to challenge myself to unplug sometimes…
Yep, research has definitely showed that to be true. It makes you wonder what we did before we all got addicted to social media. We need to get back to the basic things in life. One of the reasons l am not upgrading my phone till it dies..and it’s pretty close unfortunately :-).
Netflix and wine are my favorite ways to unwind these days
Sounds good to me for sure! 🙂
I will disconnect in a heartbeat. My husband, on the other hand cannot spend a day without watching the news and browsing. Sigh. O_o
Good for you for being able to disconnect quickly. I lean more towards your husband’s side.. It takes a bit, but l keep working on it :-).