After much anticipation (a massive understatement), today is Election Day! If the pundits are correct, we won’t know the outcome of the 2020 presidential election for quite a while. When one of these old white men is finally elected president, more stress and anxiety might set in. Presidential elections (and life in general) hand out good stress and bad stress.

Good stress could stem from:

• being excited for a big trip
• your favorite holiday is approaching
• the candidate you backed won the presidency (ding ding ding!!!!)

Bad stress could stem from:

• the death of a parent
• money problems
• the candidate you backed lost the presidency (ding ding ding!!!!)

Therefore, each and every one of us will encounter stress from this election. For those of us with bipolar, both good and bad stress can cause symptoms of mania or depression. Strangely enough, good stress brings on bipolar symptoms more easily than bad stress in my experience. It might be the bipolar quirk I hate the most—having to temper my excitement about living my best life to stay well. I need coping mechanisms in place before the stress hits. That is the thought process behind this post—to figure out how to counteract the good or bad stress that will come my way when my candidate wins or loses the presidency. My approach will be the same whether I’m dealing with good or bad stress. Even if you don’t have bipolar or mental illness (yay for you!), I hope that some of these tips might be helpful. Please note that I did not include self-care like getting enough sleep and eating my vegetables, although I will be careful to keep my routine. This is stuff I do on the regular and thus is not part of these more-specific strategies.

1. Limit my time spent on social media/take a Facebook vacation

I’m not planning for a social media blackout after the election, but I do plan to limit my time scrolling Facebook. This sums up my strategy: “2020 is proving to be uniquely, unprecedentedly stressful; we simply cannot afford to waste our precious mental resources on activities that make us miserable without generating any personal or common good. Stay informed, but not obsessively vigilant.” However, if staying informed starts pushing me toward the bipolar danger zone, I will definitely take a total break for as long as needed. And if reading “danger zone” in the previous sentence didn’t get “Highway to the Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins stuck in your head, by all means, join me. 

2. Only interact with people who agree with me politically (at least for now)

It sounds harsh, but with the heightened stress of the election, I need to draw a hard line. Otherwise, I could possibly be triggered into having bipolar symptoms just knowing the person I’m talking to is a Trump supporter. Honestly, I don’t have any friends who will vote for Trump, at least none who would call or text me, and now is certainly not the time for a nice long chat with any Trump-supporting family members.

3. Stay connected with friends and family 

I vow to spend even more quality time with my husband and daughter than usual and to call/text close family and friends, especially those prone to anxiety or depression. Luckily, this strategy doesn’t go against the previous one since all of my close family members and friends are Biden supporters, but use your judgement. I will check in on them, and we can lean on each other if needed. If I’m feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to talk about the election, I’ll say so. Likewise, I’ll ask if election talk is OK before launching in.

4. Find a distraction—take action 

Working on this blog has proven to be a lovely distraction from the horrors that seem to be inherently part of 2020, so I will continue on this path instead of perhaps spending that time brooding about the election. If the old white dude you voted for loses (or wins!), putting energy into something could benefit you. Maybe your distraction is starting a blog like me, or maybe it’s volunteering, becoming more politically active in your community, or starting a side hustle. Whatever it is, it could help you and others. Win-win!

5. Keep up with therapy

My opinion is that pretty much anyone on this planet could benefit from therapy after living through the COVID-19 pandemic. “Elevated levels of adverse mental health conditions, substance use, and suicidal ideation were reported by adults in the United States in June 2020.” Please don’t suffer in silence. As a therapy advocate as well as the daughter of a therapist, I know of some great therapists in the Pittsburgh area. Reach out at jess@ourbipolar.com if you need a referral, or find a therapist for yourself if you feel you could use one. From my experience, most therapists are willing to do phone/Skype/FaceTime visits in our current climate.

Seroquel (quetiapine) is an antipsychotic medication that I use as a rescue med. It brings me down if I’m having manic or mixed symptoms and allows me to sleep, which is key to recovering from an episode. Depending on how much I take, it can have a very strong sedating effect. As for other side effects, Seroquel is notorious for causing excessive hunger and weight gain, which I have experienced to some extent. Fun! Right now, I take a quarter of the smallest pill made daily, which is 25 mg (a very small pill to cut into quarters). When Biden wins or loses and if I’m in dire straits, my psychiatrist will undoubtedly increase my Seroquel. He usually bumps me up to half a pill or more if needed.

I hope my 6 strategies for staying healthy upon the outcome of the 2020 election are helpful to you! Another tip: if you are still grieving over the 2016 election, read Rodham: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. I found it to be uplifting. “Sittenfeld orchestrates a gloriously cathartic antidote to the actual struggles women presidential candidates face in a caustically divided America.” —Booklist.

How are you feeling now that Election Day 2020 is finally here? Do you have a mental health plan? Please tell me in the Comments below, and feel free to share this post on social media if you think it might resonate with others.