Pre-Post-Election Prep
How to start before you know who won.
I'm not scared, you're scared.
Okay, we’re all scared, because we’ve seen this movie before. Even if it ends the way we want it to, half the theater is going to be unhappy. That’s kind of terrifying to those of us who just want everybody to get along…and “c’mon, let’s make a vision board together!”
The truth is, thanks to this nine-year election season, Americans are grouchy and together in a crowded theater…each wanting to give the ‘shhhhh’ sign to the person behind us…all haunted by the deep dread that in a few weeks we will be sitting in the same theater half full of disappointed, angry people – all KNOWING we might need someone to hand us toilet paper under the bathroom stall before the drive home.
Only our ‘Midwestern nice’ training will save us. (And our Midwestern moms warning us to never leave the house without a pack of tissues.)
Until this current political madness, I’ve been a middle-of-road person who wanted every election to end like an unmemorable Christmas morning — with everyone getting at least SOMETHING they wanted.
I don’t think things are that easy this year, but our therapists are still right. We are each responsible for our own happiness; we can each make sure WE each get SOMETHING we want out of this.
Let’s discuss.
It took me a couple of days of journaling to figure it out, but I know I can absolutely have something I want when I wake up Nov. 6. It’s just that I will have to get it for myself, and probably lower my standards. (I know. Ick. I hate that therapist answer.)
I’ll probably have to get my way much like my daughter got her way when she wanted to star in the play Annie when she was 10. She had to be the director and producer and cast her little sister. She had to create a theater in the back yard and be happy with an audience of 12 neighbors, all parents of cast members And she had to cast her mom as Mrs. Hannigan.
For most of us, post-election recovery will require just such perky scrappiness. We may be better off listening to psychologists and stARTists instead of politicians.
This is a tough election and a tough moment in America, so let me be serious. Some of us will need professional help to untangle painful emotions and relationships – to repair real damage. Please take it seriously and reach out for the help you need.
If you’re in pretty good shape and up for a self-guided happiness plan, start with Harvard psychologist and stARTist Daniel Gilbert in this Top 10 Ted Talk The Surprising Science of Happiness. You’ll learn how our psychological immune systems help us synthesize disappointment and reset our optimism.
(Fun fact: Daniel Gilbert taught my daughter in college and that’s why he returned my email when I asked him to endorse my book Start More Than You Can Finish. He agrees with the principles of stARTistry and that acting on our ideas is a big source of happiness.)
As you may be frustrated to notice, I’m trying not to give away my political leanings. But my FANTASY is that all of the STARTists this crowded theater will wake up on November 6 and begin stARTing our way to our own individual happiness, and to a new collective healing.
If you’re impatient like I am, here’s how STARTists can fast-forward resetting happiness:
Start making something! Make a new recipe, write a poem, build a birdhouse, or start a conversation club of people who you’re certain would slip you toilet paper under that stall.
Start journaling! Talking to ourselves is the way we find out what we really want and whether we are being spoiled brats. Journaling is proven to move us forward, reduce stress, unearth epiphanies, ignite ideas, and even help our immune systems
Start listening! Do you have a favorite podcast? Get one! AND, get a second one on a new topic or viewpoint. Your brain needs new topics to trade places with the election junk.
Start planning! If this election gives you outcomes you don’t want, you can take charge by getting creative to build better outcomes next time. Imagine big and decide how you’ll move forward.
Start laughing! Laughter is healing and energizing; I explain why in this article. I’ll also explain it from the stage of The Comedy Club of Kansas City on Nov. 13 – it’s part of MY election recovery plan. If you’re in Kansas City, come to the Ladies Laugh Lounge! (It always sells out, so get tickets quick.)
It’s okay to shout into the void. I’ll meet you back here on November 6 to see how you’re doing!
