For sufferers of Election fatigue all over the world

I’m on the other side of the world from America and I have to say, there’s nowhere in the world you can get away from the US Presidential Election.  Of course, it’s understandable; there are massive stakes, and though I won’t give my allegiance here, people on both sides of the RED-BLUE spectrum are feeling the pinch.  Like, when did the race begin building?  It seems as if it were months ago.  And this past week has inculcated just about every single one of us in a state of hypervigilance as states called or continued counting.

You’re forgiven and understood if you feel completely exhausted.  The hypervigilance, together with the mental burden carrying, and the willing for leads to be attained and gaps gained wears on us all.

It’s like we’re all been living within a week-long Superbowl, championship game or grand final.  Then, for every single one of us, we’ve seen the fighting, the verbal abuse, the unfriending, the blocking, the constant one-upmanship.  It leaves us battle-weary.

What can be done?

Part of it is recognising the fatigue and where it’s from.

Sometimes it’s simply realising, “Ah, that’s where it’s from... I knew I was/am struggling... now it all makes sense.”

Part of it is about setting up a plan to recover.

Sometimes it’s about getting out of Twitter-land for a few days, a week, a month... whatever it takes.  To get some peace between the ears and in the heart.

Maybe some of it is about recognising that people with the opposite allegiance believe what they do because that’s the way they see.  It’s just like us appreciating that they might respect that we see the way we see for reasonable and rational reasons.

Part of it is about knowing that there are many things in this life that we will never understand, things that either play to or against our biases (and yes, we all have them, no matter what side of the political spectrum we’re on).

Sometimes it’s about recognising that conspiracy theories take us away from goodness and serve us only to the degree that they weaken our trust in good things — even if they do sound legitimate.

Part of it is about looking forward to the better things, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, a time beyond Covid.  And of course, Covid has fatigued us all considerably this year.

If you’re suffering fatigue, it’s a good chance the Election has played some contribution — for all the right reasons, for what is at stake.  Maybe it’s time to go gently and make some decisions that will bring peace into your life.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash