Coping with post-election stress disorder: act locally

Posted 2/23/17

The Local receives a regular stream of op-ed submissions every week. In the past these submissions have covered a multitude of topics – from finding the right school for a child to disparities in …

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Coping with post-election stress disorder: act locally

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The Local receives a regular stream of op-ed submissions every week. In the past these submissions have covered a multitude of topics – from finding the right school for a child to disparities in property and wage taxes in the city vs. the suburbs.

Over the last year, however, although I have not kept specific track, I’d guess 99 percent of those submissions have had to do with Donald Trump.

In the Local’s editorial pages, we try to stress the local over the national. But that has been increasingly more difficult as everyone’s attention has been focused on the spectacle of the U.S. presidency. I have run several opinions submitted on the matter but have declined to run approximately half of those I have received.

As I discussed with one regular op-ed contributor this week, I understand why many in our readership who are prone to opine on the political are more interested in writing about Trump than about what’s going on in state and city government. The President’s election has a lot of people stressed out. Writing about it is a coping mechanism.

A report last week by the American Psychology Association found that two thirds of Americans are stressed out about “the future of our nation.” And that includes both Republicans, Democrats and independents. While Republicans were logically much less stressed out by the outcome of the election than Democrats (26 percent to 72), 59 percent still said they were stressed about the general political climate.

"The stress we're seeing around political issues is deeply concerning because it's hard for Americans to get away from it," said Katherine C. Nordal, Ph.D., APA's executive director for professional practice in the study’s report. "We're surrounded by conversations, news and social media that constantly remind us of the issues that are stressing us the most."

Even before the election took place last November, there was a  growing literature on the science of coping with election stress. From how-to guides to survive family dinners with your political opposites to avoiding politics around the office water cooler. And nearly every one of those articles suggested unplugging from Facebook, Twitter and cable news, which serve as little more than incubators for political outrage.

Instead, put on the headphones and listen to a favorite album. (The new Elbow album, “Little Fictions,” is a great choice.)

But escape is really not the best option for most of us.

One of the best suggestions I’ve read is for people – regardless of political affiliation – to double down on involvement in their local communities. There is no shortage of great institutions in Chestnut Hill – from the Chestnut Hill Community Association to Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels. Every week, in the pages of this paper, you can find opportunities to donate, participate and volunteer to make your community better.

It’s often difficult to feel like you can do much on your own to steer the titanic ship of state that is U.S. national politics. But it’s not nearly as hard to make a real impact in your neighborhood.

Pete Mazzaccaro

opinion