It’s that wonderful, disturbing time again, where the world watches our country turn into unsupervised toddlers in an MMA ring, wielding finger foods, and babbling unintelligible words. This year’s battle is particularly absurd, and if you are prone to stress during election cycles, following are my personal coping strategies. And, for those who know me well, you know that using humor is always my go-to, as my social media feeds can attest, and most especially after the last few years of “seriousness” in my life. So, if you come at me for this column, just know I’ll be laughing at that too. 😉
1. Avoid Tribalism: Be skeptical and use critical thinking instead of just joining the crowd. Free-thinking is cool. I’m going to state the obvious here—politicians lie. Whoa!
2. Maintain Your Sense of Humor: There is actually a lot to laugh at in this particular election cycle. The absurdity is abundant. Be lighthearted and don’t take anything personally.
3. Politics Matter, but Not Like Life and Death, or Relationships: Keep your priorities straight.
4. Do Not Try to Win Friends or Family Over to Your Way of Thinking: Most people by now are embedded in their thought processes and will not budge. If they are on the fence, they will seek out your opinion. If they aren’t, leave it be. If you enjoy the relationship, you will avoid political discussions. After November, you will return to “normal” life and will not have regrets over disagreements with those you love.
5. Take a Break From Social Media and News Outlets if You Are Not Able to Maintain Humor: It is too easy to get sucked into engaging and then finding yourself stuck in a major squabble and having to repeatedly defend your stance. It can also be a horrible time-suck and get very emotionally draining.
We all fail at the above suggestions now and then. Whether in conversation or online, we can get sucked-in and “step in it” occasionally. The key is to wipe off your shoe and walk away as soon as you realize your mistake. Tomorrow is a new day to reset and try again. That’s how all habits can be changed.
Best of luck, and here’s hoping you maintain mental peace through November and on into the new year! And maybe we can one day come together as a nation… fingers crossed.
