Taking Care of Your Mental Health During The Election

The media coverage of the elections, the dozens of repeated mail pieces, the ads and campaign that lets you know your privacy is no longer respected. People feel pressured and bullied into voting out of fear of what friends may say now that they can see who voted and who didn’t. 

My messages of hope and encouragement were shadow banned and this made me feel somewhat hopeless yet inspired by the weight of my opinion. So here’s my opinion...

It is my belief that a government be established to protect the people in which it governs, the welfare of people simply isn’t being considered. While many of us are voting aimlessly out of fear, duty or responsibility, many of us feel that this election simply doesn’t apply to us. The black struggle has been one long seen in our communities before the rest of the world became privy to it. As I spent hours and hours researching the ballot, the candidates, and interviewing community leaders and candidates I couldn’t help but ask myself how all of this concerned us, truly considered us, and benefited us.

I think for some of us the elections this year felt like a real life and death decision. For some of us oppression instills a believe that we don’t matter enough to effect the change we need. Our mental health has been affected by the racial trauma of oppression since the beginning. Voting without relief feels like insanity, it increases anxiety, high blood pressure, symptoms of chronic stress and even depression. Refocusing on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative allows us to focus on solutions and develop confidence in our ability to affect positive change within our own lives. Here's how to take care of Mental Health surrounding the elections: 1. Take breaks away from the TV, Social media , radio and any other news sources

2. Accept differences in opinions even though they don't match with yours.

3. Refuse to feel pressure to vote and respond to criticism Gracefully.

4. Accept that some issues matter more to others than they do to you

5. Maintain your self care routines