Diana Belchase here. With the election upon us and rumors of coming violence in the U.S. and around the world, Peter Shankman, creator of the Help a Reporter site, has come up with 10 things you must do today in order to preserve your mental and physical health. I thought his suggestions were well worth reposting here.

Whatever you do, vote, then forget about it. Worrying will not change what will be, nor will it improve your health. Remember we are all Americans in the end. Whomever becomes our new President, whether we agree with him or not, must be respected. The other half of our nation, may seem radically different, but if you take a closer look, you will realize they are your neighbors, your cousins, your sister or brother. They want mostly the same things as you, but have a different way of approaching it. Calling names, getting into Twitter wars, or burning down neighborhoods does nothing to help you get your way and a lot that does get in the way of America moving forward. 

Be safe, be healthy, be happy, and VOTE! 

Here are some words from Peter Shankman:

Short and to the point: Today (and tomorrow, if history is any indication) is going to be brutal on our mental health. So here’s a list of ten things I encourage you to today. (If you’re in the US, do these after you’ve voted.)

10) Drink a lot of water, throughout the day.

9) Get some physical activity in. Walk. Run. Cycle. Anything.

8) Call a friend and talk about anything BUT the election.

7) Find an animal and play with it. Either yours, a neighbor’s, or at a shelter.

6) Stop doomscrolling.

5) Go to bed at a reasonable hour. The news will still be there when you wake up.

4) Shut off your phone when you go to bed, otherwise you’ll look at it all night.

3) Take deep breaths throughout the day.

2) Practice mindfullness and stay grounded.

1) Be kind. Everyone in our country has an Excederin-sized headache today.

Reach out if you need to. Stay safe, help the less fortunate if you can, and remember that you’re loved.

To taking care of ourselves, which allows us to make the world a better place,

-Peter

Diana again: Thanks, Peter! I know it’s a great list and one we should all follow. Especially the part about finding an animal to smother with attention. 🙂

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