Taking Care of Yourself in the Election Season
By Sassafras Patterdale
The presidential election is here and in full motion. If you find yourself emotionally struggling with the realities of this election cycle you aren’t alone. Many LGBTQ+ people and other people of marginalized communities understand the very real implications of how this election could impact our lives. Even though the election is very serious, that doesn’t mean we need to tune in 24/7. In fact, more than ever, we need to prioritize our mental health during this stressful season.
Vote!
If you are over the age of eighteen and eligible to vote place, make sure that your self-care plans include making sure that you are registered to vote and making a voting plan. I live in Oregon where voting is entirely by mail, but regardless of if you are voting by mail, or voting in person, consider adding voting plans to your self-care planning schedule. Plan time ahead of voting to review the different candidates and issues you’ll be voting on. Remember, this isn’t just a presidential election and there are down-ballot or down-ticket candidates and issues, meaning statewide and local election issues that are equally important for you to be educated about and vote on. If you’re feeling overwhelmed consider making plans with friends to do an election “study” session and educate yourselves about the different people and issues you’ll be voting on. You can even make plans to go to the polls together if you’re feeling nervous about voting.
Eat, Hydrate, and Sleep
During the election season one of the most important aspects of self-care is not to forget is taking care of your basic needs. This includes making sure that you are eating and staying hydrated. It’s also important to get plenty of sleep. Thinking about the election can be all-consuming but we need to physically take care of ourselves. Not feeling especially motivated? Consider making these basic self-care tasks a little more fun or festive. For example, if you are having a hard time remembering to drink water consider adding fun stickers to a water bottle. These stickers can be affirmations that help you to feel better, or they might be election related if that helps to motivate you. Remember we can’t fight for our community if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. Eat your favorite foods — don’t forget those fruits and vegetables, and try to keep regular sleep habits. Rest is important all the time, but especially when stress and anxiety is running high. Give yourself time to rest and recharge, which means getting enough sleep.
It’s Ok to Tune Out
While paying attention to the news and what is going on is important, it’s ok to tune out and give yourself some breaks. None of us can be looped into the news 24/7 and this is especially true during a stressful time. Give yourself permission to tune out from election coverage, and even thinking about the election. For some people this means putting your phone down in the evening so you can wind down for bed and be less stressed. Or you might plan a weekend, or day to give yourself permission to not read or watch the news. Taking breaks especially when you find yourself feeling stressed and overwhelmed is an important way to prioritize your mental health. Not only can it help reduce your stress, but it also can help you return to election-related news and conversations reenergized.
Quality Time with Friends
Elections are stressful, and this presidential election season is especially overwhelming as LGBTQ+ lives and issues are routinely being brought up. In particular, when conservative politicians are arguing about our legitimacy and right to exist and access health care it can take a toll on your stress level and mental health. Try to surround yourself with people who are supportive and who share the same values and concerns as you do during this election cycle. Similarly minded friends can be a fun part of self-care right now to help you feel less alone. This is especially important if you have family or people around you who you know are voting in ways that could cause legitimate harm to you and the LGBTQ+ community.
Plan for Election Day/Night
While the race toward the election is emotionally a lot and an ongoing source of stress for many of us, you’re also going to want to think ahead toward the election itself. Think about what is going to feel supportive for you if you’re celebrating, mourning, or (more than likely) sitting in a lot of uncertainty. Consider if these are the plans you want to have for “big days” during the election like debate nights as well. Some people will feel most supportive by watching the debate with friends, while other people need to tune out for their self-care and tune in for the results later. Self-care is going to look unique for each person, for some people the best election night will look like spending quality time alone: journaling, watching a movie, taking a bath, drawing, or doing some other quiet self-centering activity and only strategically turning in for news updates here and there. Other people want to watch the news nonstop, be in community with like-minded friends. There’s no right or wrong way to spend election night, it’s just important to spend election night doing what is going to feel supportive for you.
Be Gentle with Yourself
This election season try to be gentle with yourself and respect what feels right for you even if that self-care looks different from what other people in your life need and want. It’s ok to want to be social, or it’s ok to need quiet time alone. We are all navigating the stress of the election in our own way and what feels like good self-care now might change from day to day or week to week as the election progresses. Be flexible with yourself care, do what feels best to you at any given time and communicate your fears, and needs to friends and supportive family. Remember no matter what happens in November you aren’t alone and the LGBTQ+ community will keep standing together to build the future we all deserve.
About the Author
Sassafras Patterdale’s novels and nonfiction books have been honored by organizations ranging from the American Library Association to the Lambda Literary Foundation and the Dog Writers Association of America. Sassafras’ work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, and numerous other newspapers and magazines. Sassafras has taught queer writing courses and workshops at LitReactor, the NYC Center For Fiction and at colleges, conferences, and LGBTQ youth centers across the country. You can find more of Sassafras’ written works, including an edited collection exploring LGBTQ+ youth homelessness entitled Kicked Out, at www.SassafrasLowrey.com.
