A square blue and red background centers on an imaginative piece of fiber art that uses lace, ribbons, and strips of cloth to evoke the “Stars and Stripes” of the United States flag. It could be seen as a flag made of beautiful, diverse materials, or as a flag in shreds.
Post-Election Burnout

Post-Election Burnout

Wow. It’s over. Are you feeling a little ragged from post-election burnout, today?

A square blue and red background centers on an imaginative piece of fiber art that uses lace, ribbons, and strips of cloth to evoke the “Stars and Stripes” of the United States flag. It could be seen as a flag made of beautiful, diverse materials, or as a flag in shreds.
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We are now living in the wake of one of the most divisive, dysfunctional US presidential-election cycles most of us can remember. Psychologists even talked about “election stress disorder,” while the madness continued, and worried about the very real havoc it wreaked on people’s peace of mind.

However you feel about the results, the nastiness didn’t just stay at the top of the ticket. Down-ballot races often seemed at least as mean-spirited and angry. What is worse, partisan divisions have begun to inspire a lot of mistrust, rancor, and in some cases downright hatred between everyday people all around us. People we may once have seen as “my neighbor,” or “my cousin” many of us now see as “us” and “them.”

This square image centers on a photo of a dark blue sign with large white letters that say, “A negative thinker sees a difficulty in every opportunity. A positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty.
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NOW What?

But the election’s over. The votes are cast, for well or ill. The seemingly wall-to-wall political ads have finally ended, thank God. But post-election burnout will only last so long. Now comes the hard part: living with what we have wrought.

I’m not talking about the politicians, or who’ll be in the White House come January. I’m talking about my fellow Americans. How do we suck it up and start speaking to each other again? 

Our nation’s fate and future depend on our being able to do that. We’re going to have to act like rational adults, and stop casting aspersions on each others’ intelligence and morality. Can we ever be positive thinkers again? Should we even try?

On a square background of fuschia pink, lime green, turquoise, and bright yellow, a poster with a black background and white letters that look like writing on a chalkboard says, “Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.”
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Finding a Way Forward

The short-term advice is not to talk about the election results too much, or think too hard on what you learned about other people’s politics in recent months. Many of us need to work through our post-election burnout. We need to rest up, need to put down the phone. Maybe go for a walk in nature without headphones.

But straight-up denial isn’t a winning plan, either. Sooner or later, facts must be dealt with. And the fact is that we still live in a country with deep divisions. When the facts are inconvenient or unfavorable from one’s point of view, what do we have left?

A poster with a black background and large white letters centers on a square background with a yellow circle in the middle that blends into orange around the edges. The words say, “No matter the situation, never let your emotions overpower your intelligence.
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Can we muster the hope?

The world hasn’t ended yet. The post-election burnout will only last so long, and then we’ll need to get up and move forward. Because giving up is not helpful to anyone. Can we afford not to try?

The gray, blue, and white square background centers on a photograph of a lake in the mountains, framed by spruce trees. Across the photo, white letters spell out the message, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.”
See Credits below.

IMAGES: Many thanks to the “4th of July” Pinterest Page for the “ragged flag” photo–but relax. It’s not really a shredded flag. It’s a decoration made from strips of cloth, ribbon, and lace–and we could choose to see it as an evocation of the flag made up of beautiful, diverse materials. Many thanks to the Pinterest board, “Workplace Quotes,” for the Negative/Positive quote, and to “The Teenager Quotes” on Tumblr via the “Positive Quotes” Pinterest board for the quote about dealing with an addiction to negativity. Many thanks also to the “Work Hard” Pinterest Page for the “no matter the situation” quote. Last but not least, many thanks to the “Positive Thinking” Pinterest Page for the “Hope is stronger” quote.

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