(CNN) — As the nation wakes up to the fact that Donald Trump is the projected winner of the presidential election, there’s one thing we can all agree on. That said, the road to the White House was long and hard fought.
Americans are tired, likely emotionally scarred and devastated, and likely worried about what will happen to their bitterly divided country in the coming weeks.
Just like in 2020now is a good time to stop and analyze your physical and emotional stress.
“How we perceive our stress is actually important to our health,” says Cynthia Acryl, Ph.D., stress management expert and former editor of Content magazine. I am. American Institute of Stress.
“When the brain senses a source of danger, even if it’s just worry, it increases stress levels to ensure safety,” Acryl said in an email.
“Thank your brain for doing its job, but from here on out, ensure your brain is up to the task,” she added. “This helps you become aware of automatic reactions, stop automatic thought loops, and separate fact from fiction.”
Take time out, take a breather, and practice self-care for yourself, your friends, and your neighbors. Here are some key ways to give yourself a break, backed by science.
Breathe, move, plan
Experts say you can use your body to calm your mind. Activates deep, slow abdominal breathing. parasympathetic nervous system It counteracts signs of stress such as increased heart rate and adrenaline rush.
“You don’t even have to stop what you’re doing. Just take a few slow, deep breaths and really feel the sensations in your body,” says Cortland, author of The Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism and lead meditation expert.・Mr. Dahl says. healthy mind innovationIt is a non-profit organization that provides. Free wellness services. “A few conscious breaths will reset your nervous system and bring the calm you need to your mind.”
Taking a walk can have a similar effect. A walk in nature with an uplifting friend can be even more stress-reducing, Acryl says.
“Plan something to do with a friend today. Bonus if it’s outdoors. No matter the election result, choose something that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit,” she says.
Other recommended stress reduction tips include practicing gratitude and eliminating stressful news and social feeds. Mr. Acryl says, practice control, listing the things you can control, the things you can influence, and the things you can’t control. And I said, don’t worry about things you can’t influence.
“Everyone needs a regular habit of noticing when stress is taking hold, and ways to cope with it (toolbelt). It includes healthy strategies, tools to reduce the mental and physical impact, and ways to stay focused on how to grow,” she said.
“Unfortunately, most of us are not taught these things, so let’s take the stress of this election as a challenge and practice healthy stress regulation going into the next election.”
don’t bottle up your emotions
Acryl said in a previous interview that emotions are like data, necessary to communicate that there are needs that still need to be met.
“Denying or bottling up your feelings doesn’t work,” she said. “Create space to process your real emotions, such as sadness, disappointment, frustration, anger, and guilt.
“Give yourself a rich quilt of emotions that make you human,” Acryl added. “Don’t decide for yourself what you should do. There’s no need to rewrite the story about how you feel because it’s out of your control. Whatever you feel is true for you. ”
According to experts, one way to process your emotions is to write them down until you can get them down on paper. You’ll know when it’s happening if you feel your emotional load lightening.
You can also reach out to a friend or loved one who you can “trust to hold you safe,” Acryl suggested. However, choose carefully. Before you fully share, she said, ask yourself, “Is this person really helping you deal with emotional load?”
If you feel like you’re “stuck in your emotions” or can’t stand the discomfort, be sure to seek help from a therapist, she said. “Contrary to what our culture has taught us, help is not a bad four-letter word.”
we are all human
Acryl said finding common ground with others is critical to mental health during times of stress.
“The election hype is so divisive that it can strain relationships, especially with people who don’t share our views,” she said. “Often we share more concerns, fears, and values than we differ. Finding common ground can create an antidote to significant stress: connection. ”
Tania Israel, a psychologist and professor of counseling psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, agrees.
“The media and our minds conspire to falsely perceive people who disagree with us as extreme, illogical, and hateful people when in reality, we don’t see them. “We have much more in common than we do,” Israel said in an email.
“Americans share core values such as service, patriotism, and bipartisanship. We agree to protect government accountability and representation, as well as constitutional freedoms and the fair application of the law. “It’s a difficult time for people to live,” said Israel, author of the book “Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation.”
“Furthermore, we all want free and fair elections, we all support equal rights, and we all don’t want government officials to abuse their power.”
Israel pointed to an organization dedicated to uniting opposing sides of the political divide, known as the “Bridge Movement.”
“The priority is to walk away from the interaction caring more about the other person than whether or not you won the argument,” said Caroline Hopper, managing director of the Citizenship and American Identity Program at the Aspen Institute. It’s about putting people first,” he told CNN. in a preliminary interview.
Sponsored by Aspen Institute better discussion projectstrives to generate more productive discussion. Conversations like this don’t have to drive people apart, the group says. In fact, it says that learning to argue “better” can bring us together.
“If we only engage with people who agree with us, we won’t have the information we need to make informed decisions,” Hopper said. “Sharing different ideas and perspectives often yields deeper insights and more powerful solutions to issues that affect us all.”
CNN Wire
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