Add These 4 Things To Your Election Day Self-Care Plan

During a Q+A a few weeks back someone asked me what the difference was between mental health and mental wellness.

In an effort to have something tangible to answer, I shared that mental health is something we all have (same as we do our physical health), but mental wellness comes down to intention, routines, and trial and error. Mental wellness is everything we know to do on a bad day to help us cope but it’s also the routines we discover through therapy, reading, or getting to know ourselves better.

Four years ago, on the day after Election Day, I woke up and took a walk. At the time, it was the only mental wellness routine that I felt would adequately respond to the state of my mental health. I cried for so many reasons during that walk. Like so many people, Trump’s win wasn’t something I had ever expected. I’d proudly voted for Hillary Clinton and naively believed that she was on a clear path to victory. There was no world in which I would have thought to prepare for something as wild as a Trump win.

This time around it’s different. I’m hopeful for a Biden win but I’m preparing myself for any outcome that would make it more taxing, anxiety inducing, or straight up hard to go through Wednesday without a plan.

I was taught to believe a lot in superstitions and that somehow preparing for the worse meant you jinxed yourself for it to happen. If you also hold on close to superstitions, please don’t let that stop you from preparing a mental health plan for this week.

No matter where we live, when we voted, or how we consume news — this is going to be an emotionally taxing week.

The same way you crafted a voting plan for yourself or helped loved ones do the same, this is your time (like right now) to write down a plan for yourself this week. Think of rituals or plans that will bring you joy, comfort, or allow you to show up no matter where your emotions may be. Make plans with friends that you can cancel on if you don’t feel up for it. Give yourself something to look forward to no matter what it may be.

INJECT JOY INTO ELECTION DAY

Given what happened last time, I have a hard relationship with Election Days now. Ahead of tomorrow, I’ve planned to reframe my day to be one that speaks to all that will make me happy.

Here’s what some of my day will include:
⁃ A donut run
⁃ Working on only fun things
⁃ Limiting my news consumption until the evening
⁃ Planning a dinner with all our favorite foods
⁃ No meetings
⁃ Lots of doggy playtime

LEAN ON TOOLS YOU ALREADY HAVE

If you’re lost in the middle of the ocean, that wouldn’t be the time you decided to learn to swim or build a boat. Don’t add pressure to yourself to test out new mental wellness rituals this week. Turn to your tried and true habits that you already know will bring you comfort.

Some of the ones I’ll be turning to:
⁃ Yoga With Adrienne
⁃ Headspace
⁃ Reflectly App
⁃ Adult coloring books
⁃ Drinking water
⁃ Playing Animal Crossing
⁃ Taking a midday bath
⁃ Going on walks

Plan 5-15 Minute Check-Ins Every Few Hours

Sometimes we don’t know what we need or how to cater to our needs because we fail to take the time to ask. Set reminders on your phone for 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. Every time your alarm goes off, open up your notes up and type out - “how am I feeling right now?” Answer it as honestly as possible. Remember this isn’t a trick question, it’s not asking for your deepest darkest secrets. More often than not your biggest red flags are the simplest ones that you’re too distracted to notice. Like, maybe at 3pm all you feel is hungry, but it’ll help you realize that you skipped lunch at noon. Taking the time then to make a snack or a meal will help calm your appetite and probably your anxiety.

TRUST THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE’LL BE OKAY

One of the hardest parts I find of building out mental wellness routines generally and especially for specific days is working to center the truth that we will be okay. During death anniversaries I’ve learned to center that no matter how good or how bad of a day the day itself will only be 24-hours. Yes, I’ll live with the reality of my losses and their accompanying grief for a lifetime, but the rawness of that specific day does have an expiration date. Same is true for any hard day. We’ll be able to feel our ways through tomorrow and cope with all the day brings, so long as we simply focus on a one day at a time approach.

The plan you use tomorrow and Wednesday may not work on Thursday, but that in no way means you don’t know how to build one out for Thursday and Friday. Taking the time to plan as much as you can right now, to jot down all you have at your disposal, and to revisit that list whenever you need to is what I’m hoping will be the difference-maker between feeling like we barely survived this week to feeling like we did all we could to thrive.

What are you adding to your Election Day self-care plan?