As we get nearer to the official date of the election on Tuesday, November 3, I imagine that our individual and collective anxiety level is going to skyrocket! We don’t know what that enormously consequential outcome will be, and we don’t even know when we learn the election results. So I thought it might be useful to have a few reminders about how to manage our worry and anxiety in (healthy!) ways:
- First, do something constructive to address your worries. Vote – and if you haven’t yet voted, make a plan to vote! If you are able to text or phone bank, you might try that. You might also reach out to a few friends and family – you know who they are! – and encourage them to vote as well. Help a neighbor get to the polls if that would be useful. We all have something we can actually do to contribute to the health of our nation and its electoral process. Doing something – anything – will help you feel better.
- Second, reach out to your support system – your friends and family members who are also worried and anxious – and spend some time connecting. You might commiserate about the election and the craziness of the world, or you might talk about something else entirely. You might go for a walk, burning off some nervous energy, while chatting with a good friend on the phone. You might do a group online call and cook and eat something delicious together, or play a virtual game, or share current event stories that give you hope. Remind yourself that you aren’t alone.
- Finally – or maybe this should be first! – meditate and/or pray. Do anything that helps you connect to your center and helps you ground more fully in the Source of all Being, in God. You’ll know what works for you best: reading scripture, sitting in quiet contemplation, going for a walk in the park, attending worship, praying daily for others who need help, practicing yoga, or anything else that helps you have trust and confidence in our God who is Love itself.
And if you need a little extra help, don’t hesitate to reach out to a fellow parishioner or one of the clergy. We will get through this time as we always do at Holy Apostles – together, and with the grace of God.
