Using Mindfulness & Gratitude To Thrive Post-Election

The 2024 U.S. election left many people feeling anxious and fearful for the future. But there is hope. As a clinical psychologist, I describe strategies to help cope with this unique time in our history along with a guided meditation to help you reduce stress and improve your mood.

Transcript

The 2024 presidential election was a devastating blow to about half the people in the United States.

Many have been feeling deeply sad,

Hopeless,

Disgusted,

Fearful and angry.

And they're dreading what lies ahead.

If you've been feeling any or all of these,

You're not alone.

And while it's important to accept whatever you're feeling,

You should know that you don't have to feel like this forever.

Which is why I'd like to talk about some strategies that you can use to not only survive this period,

But actually thrive during it.

One of the main ways is to regain a greater sense of control over your life.

You can decide not to let anyone,

Regardless of how much political power they have,

Take control over your very thoughts and feelings every day for the next four years.

If we step back to look at the bigger picture,

There is so much that is unaffected by politics.

Whatever changes are made,

The sun will continue to rise each day.

And whatever you were doing before the election,

You can probably continue to do.

This is still your life.

And,

As Gandhi said,

Nobody can hurt me without my permission.

Another way to maintain some sense of control is to limit how much political news you consume each day.

I know many of you have already begun doing that,

Which is great.

But going forward,

You may not want to completely disconnect from political news because it is good to be informed.

But you don't need to get sucked into the cyclone of doom-scrolling designed to incite outrage.

Be selective about your internet feeds.

Get the information you need,

But try to avoid all the drama.

And balance out the endless supply of negative stories with some positive news stories.

You might even try googling good news websites,

Where you'll find dozens of sites devoted to sharing positive news from around the world.

Because if all the stories we hear are negative,

We really can't claim to be well-informed.

And our mental health will suffer.

It also helps to remember that,

As a country,

Over the past 250 years,

We have endured many challenging times,

Including disease outbreaks,

The American Revolution,

A civil war,

The Great Depression,

Two world wars,

Vietnam,

A Cold War,

9-11,

The Great Recession,

Hurricanes,

Floods,

Fires,

And earthquakes.

And you've probably survived a number of personal struggles throughout your history as well.

So remember that we can,

And we will,

Get through the next four years.

At some point,

You might decide to get involved in political activism.

Unlike doomscrolling,

This can provide you with a greater sense of power,

Hope,

And a united purpose.

You could volunteer or financially support organizations that protect civil rights,

Like the ACLU or the Southern Poverty Law Center,

Or groups that protect the environment.

Or maybe join one of the many groups that's working to bridge the partisan divide,

Like Braver Angels,

Which brings conservatives and liberals together to better understand each other's positions and discover their shared values.

Get involved in whatever cause you feel passionate about.

If you're a parent or a teacher,

You can help young people learn to distinguish facts from opinions and reliable sources of information from unreliable ones.

This would go a long way towards preventing the effects of disinformation.

After all,

The U.

S.

Is ranked 15th in media literacy education.

We could learn from Finland,

Which is ranked number one in this,

And it may not be a coincidence that they're also ranked number one in happiness.

Also,

Remember to practice good self-care.

I know you've all heard this before,

But it really does help your mind and body to get regular exercise,

To get outdoors for fresh air and sunshine,

To practice meditation or yoga,

Connect with others,

Get plenty of sleep,

Do activities you enjoy,

Laugh often,

Breathe fully,

Stay in the present moment as much as you can,

Feel gratitude for all that you have,

Listen to soothing or uplifting music,

And try to keep a routine to feel a sense of structure and normalcy during these less-than-normal times.

I'd like to end with a guided meditation designed to reduce your stress and improve your mood.

Please do not operate any machinery while listening to this part.

Allow yourself now to get into a comfortable position,

Either setting up or lying down.

And whenever you'd like,

You can let your eyes gently close and begin taking in a few deep,

Relaxing breaths in through your nose,

Holding it for a second or two,

And exhale out through your mouth.

When you breathe in,

Allow your belly to fill like a balloon.

And when you exhale,

Let it deflate.

Inhaling.

.

.

And exhaling.

And when you do exhale,

Feel free to let out a sigh,

As you might after a hard day's work and you're finally able to rest.

And now,

Just allow your body to breathe naturally,

Without any effort on your part.

And as you sit there or lie there,

You can begin letting go of any tension in your body,

Allowing the muscles around your mouth and jaw to relax completely,

As well as the muscles around your eyes and in your neck and shoulders.

As you continue breathing comfortably and naturally,

You can become aware of each of the points of contact between your body and the chair or bed where it's supporting your body,

Noticing your body settling in and relaxing a little more each time you exhale,

Letting the muscles in your chest and back relax,

Enabling your lungs to breathe freely and comfortably,

Allowing for the natural exchange of fresh oxygen in and carbon dioxide out,

While letting the muscles in your arms and hands relax,

As well as your thighs,

Your calf muscles,

Your ankles,

All the way down to the soles of your feet.

And then you can take a few more moments to scan your body for any areas of tension that might still exist.

And if you find any,

Simply take in another deep cleansing breath and release any residual tension from those areas.

Good.

Now,

As your body and mind continue to relax on their own,

You can take this time to appreciate this present moment.

You don't have to do anything in this moment.

You can just be and know that you're safe and secure.

Mindfulness is simply focusing on the present,

Without judgment.

It's focusing on one thing at a time.

When we do this,

We automatically trigger a sense of calm and peacefulness.

It improves our clarity of mind.

It helps us to respond rather than react.

It increases our sense of connection,

Our well-being.

It lowers our heart rate and blood pressure,

And it strengthens our immune system.

Now,

There are many ways to be more mindful.

Certainly,

You can meditate.

You can also use everyday experiences to remind yourself to bring yourself to the present moment.

When you're in the shower,

Notice how the water feels on your body and how it feels to shampoo your hair as you massage your scalp.

Or while you're getting dressed,

You can attend to it mindfully.

When you're eating,

Really bring your attention to the tastes and textures of your food.

Savor every bite.

When you get into your car and put on your seatbelt,

You can take a deep breath and then take a couple of seconds to bring your full attention to the present moment.

When you're speaking to someone,

Remember to be fully present.

You can create the habit of being a little more mindful each and every day.

See if you aren't just a little bit happier each time that you do.

Another key to coping better and feeling better is practicing gratitude.

There's no need to force yourself to feel gratitude,

And it's okay if you don't feel it,

But just allow yourself to be open to it if and when it does arise.

When you focus on your breath,

You might consider how fortunate you are that you have lungs that work and that allow you to breathe.

If you have eyes that enable you to see faces and colors,

Trees,

Sunsets,

The moon and the stars,

You've got something to be thankful for.

The fact that you're listening to my voice means that you can hear.

Not everybody can,

But you're able to enjoy the sounds of music,

Laughter,

The voices of loved ones,

And good conversations,

So you can feel grateful for your hearing.

If you have legs that work and you're able to get up and go wherever you'd like,

And you're free to walk,

To dance,

To take care of yourself,

To drive a car,

You can be thankful for your legs.

It's easy to take this for granted,

But all you have to do is watch a baby and see the thrill in their face as they take their first steps to remember what a gift it is to be able to walk on your own two feet.

If you have a home that protects you from the cold,

The wind,

And the rain,

You can be grateful for that,

And for all the people who built that home and made it possible for you to live there.

If you're not living in a war zone right now,

You can feel grateful for that.

Not everyone in the world is so fortunate.

If you have all the food and water you need,

You can feel gratitude for the farmers and the truckers and the people who built and maintained the roads and bridges and everyone that made that food available to you.

If you have electricity and hot running water,

You can be grateful for that,

Too.

For thousands of years,

Not even the richest kings and queens had those luxuries,

And many people around the world today still don't.

The list of things that we have to be grateful for is endless,

And it's in our best interest for our own mental health and happiness to take a little time each day to appreciate all that we have and savor all the good in your life.

Now,

This doesn't deny or ignore the problems in the world and what needs improving,

But it can help us keep a broader perspective of all that we have and what's most important in our lives.

Another strategy you can use during this challenging time is to make the most of your life.

The greatest success is living well.

So do activities that you enjoy and pursue some new ones.

Maybe pick up a new hobby,

Join a club,

Volunteer,

Get in better shape,

Overcome some fear,

Quit a bad habit or cultivate a new positive habit,

Take a new course,

Start a journal,

Or just get out of your comfort zone.

But whatever you do,

Each day seek out some humor,

Have some fun.

Humor and laughter are cathartic.

They release endorphins.

They lower stress hormones.

They strengthen our resilience.

And it's one of the best ways to cope with life when life gets absurd.

Feel free to be silly.

The more absurd things get,

The more reasons there are to laugh.

My final tip is to keep hope alive.

Hope enables us to be creative and see more possibilities.

It helps us be resilient,

To be able to recover from setbacks,

And it allows us to enjoy life more.

Now,

If you'd like to drift off to sleep,

Simply allow yourself to do so.

But if not,

You can begin opening your eyes and gently coming back to this present moment.

Thank you for taking this time and for caring to make your life and the world a better place.

Reviews

Thank you. I needed this so much on this day after the 2025 inauguration. 🙏🏼

Helped a lot with inauguration day stress, especially with feelings of despair and feeling scared for my friends and family.