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Feeling Political Fatigue and Pandemic Burnout?
The Antidotes are Hope, Action, and Gratitude.
The most important election of our lifetime is happening during a once in a century worldwide public health crisis. Scarlett red, electric blue, or a shade of purple in between, one thing we can all agree on is the infinite value of HOPE, ACTION, and GRATITUDE in moving us forward in the right direction.
I don’t know about you but I have PTSD from the last election. What I thought was going to happen didn’t. The political world as I knew it turned upside down with a shocking news cycle that has not let up. The comorbidity from the anxiety and stress due to the Coronavirus adds a whole other complicated layer. Record wildfires and hurricanes are in the news cycle. Reports of Election Day fears of outbreaks of violence are resulting in people stocking up on canned goods, toilet paper, and other basic supplies. Fears of a Civil War breaking out in our streets has resulted in an increase in gun sales and many to first-time gun owners. It’s no wonder we are all on edge.
Family infighting and friends and coworkers have severed relationships over political views that get further divided by Facebook and Twitter. Loyal viewers to cable outlets like Fox News compared to CNN or MSNBC feel as though they’re living in alternate universes. People of color and their white allies are bewildered that not everyone is condemning white supremacy or neo-nazism. America is a country founded by immigrants and yet not all of its diverse citizens receive equal justice. The pandemic continues to make things worse and highlights the vast inequities.
According to an ongoing weekly poll of 900,000 Americans conducted by the Census Bureau, 35% of Americans currently meet the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder. The cases have quadrupled since COVID19 became a household name, forcing us to social distance and many to lose their jobs and even worse, their loved ones. We’re fatigued with restrictions put on us, worried and restless that our kids aren’t back in school, and saddened we can’t…
