How to deal with Post Election Depression?

When she turned to say hello, she wore a small smile that if you had not been looking at her you would think she was not showing you any love. She didn’t know I had been watching her and wondering what was going on in her head. What was she thinking about that made her pretty eyes so sad and almost watery?

‘Why are you so sad? I asked her. ‘You are almost in tears; actually I think you are crying in your soul. What is going on?’

Rain had just showed us some love; the air was no longer warm but cool though with a deafening quietness almost still, from latter days.

‘Now what do we do?’

She finally said after what seemed like forever, I had even given upon expecting an answer. She had been holding on to something in the space between the coffee table and the TV but you would think she was watching TV.

‘I wanted him gone; I wanted my children to know that I had the power to do it. To keep them safe from his brutality and indifference, from his incompetence and impunity; no child should grow up knowing that evil can prevail’, she continued.

All my life, I have known my cousin to be the praise-r of the 1986 man in the hat and it didn’t occur to me that the outcome of the elections would make her this depressed.

‘I didn’t vote for him, I wanted change, I want a new challenge, I want to see how others can do it, I want functional systems and structures, I want him gone to his farm!’ came her loud shout before she fainted.

                                                                  ~~~~~~0000~~~~~~

What is Post Election Depression and how do you overcome it?

This is what happens when your candidate — the person you rooted for and rallied behind — didn’t win. Its Post-election heartache, pain, and it tends to feels like it’ll last forever, but it doesn’t really. It’s like other emotional disorders it can be healed with time.

Like this;

• Pray and don’t stop. Talk to whomever or whatever you think is supreme.
• Write a “grief letter” expressing all the things you loved and admired about your candidate plus their shortcomings even your overall feelings about their loss or the general election process. This letter is for your eyes only, so feel free to unload. (This has worked for me though I uploaded bits of mine on here)
• Distance yourself from watching old campaign footage or post-election coverage. Go out and have some non-political fun with your friends, and give yourself some time to heal that’s far, far away from the news media.(this I tried yesterday, it felt good but the way my work is set up, it didn’t last)
• Trash/hide your propaganda every photo, poster, and piece of memorabilia associated with your candidate. A friend said they had a ceremonial backyard burial and cried their eyes out.( I think this is too early for now but maybe later in the months)
• Don’t do all the things you promised you would do like leave the country or burn some parts of your body; no one took you seriously anyway, so no need. (Hello Stella Nyanzi).
• Don’t beat yourself up, you’re still a great person, and this isn’t your fault. You did everything you could, (believe that you did) but the powers that be decided differently.
• Change your social media display picture, avi, profile picture to a black empty picture for just. (this is making me free good this morning)
• Treat yourself, devote a day to indulgence, and make yourself feel great. You don’t need a candidate to make you feel like you can conquer the world!
• This is going to hurt but support another candidate hehe, join in to the celebrations of the winning team. Go for the fun.

Share some others ways you are complying with this heartbreak.

Patricia Kahill

Patricia Kahill is a multipotentialite Christian entrepreneur, Content Marketing Coach and founder of the Content Marketing agency, Kahill Insights that helps business owners create engaging and interactive content items for digital platforms with a focus on returning a desired outcome. Patricia was the producer of SlamDunk Basketball Talk a show on House of Talent online TV, a former fellow at Harvest Institute for leadership and now an assessor there, and an alumnus of the YELP class of 2017. A member of the BNI Integrity chapter and African Women Entrepreneur Cooperative. She is driven by passion and curiosity, been taking every opportunity that has been given to her with an ambition of stamping her footprint on the world.