My secret to beating the election blues, and why it gets a laugh from my girls every time

The election is over, but the emotions are lingering into the holiday season. Whether you are happy with the result, or sad, the political hangover can start to interfere in your personal happiness — unless you learn how to manage it.

I want to share how the chaos in the news doesn’t need to be the chaos in our homes.

My family is bombarded with politics because I am a political commentator, columnist and journalist. My teenagers know more than most Americans about the state of the world. And we argue. We have had tears and several heated dinner conversations since the midterms.

As an adult, I can recalibrate more easily, but for teens, the emotions are off the charts.

Other parents — who don’t do this for a living —  are having similar issues. My inbox is flooded with pleas for help: “What do you do now that the socialists are taking over?” “Are we still safe in America?”

There’s something going on here besides politics. We’ve added social division, and a 24-hour news cycle, to lives that are already busy and stressful.

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I needed guidance on how to help our family and community at large, so I called my rabbi, Steve Leder of Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

Rabbi Leder reminded me: “The news is not the world and we are not the news.”

As with everything, he said, “The question remains: How do we evolve and grow? It’s not the survival of the fittest; it’s the survival of the most adaptable.”

Taking his wisdom to heart, here are some coping strategies that I found useful.

The first is gratitude.

Every morning, when I wake up, I say a prayer of gratitude to my Creator. You don’t have to believe in God to say something small, reminding yourself how lucky you are to live another day.

Find a meditation or a poem. Whatever resonates with you, make gratitude a practice.

Another strategy: Music.

I listen to music to start my morning, instead of the news. With music comes dance — and dance significantly reduces depressive symptoms, so why not try it?

I have been dancing in the kitchen in the morning, and when my girls come down for breakfast, they immediately break out laughing. So it’s working!

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Next: Family.

Family dinners are essential in our busy lives to check in, look each other in the eye and really catch up.

I’m Jewish, so Friday night Sabbath dinners have always been sacred. If Fridays don’t work for you, make Sunday your family dinner night. But make sure to make it a tradition, so you can check in with each other, break bread with one another and laugh together.

Finally: Take a 24-hour social media break.

The late Charlie Kirk said, “Turn off your phone for one day a week. The world will keep on turning and you will be happier.”

Not tuning in to the news or checking what the world is doing on social media will not change the world in a day, but taking the time to invest in yourself can improve mental health, strengthen your marriage and give you time to reconnect with the people and things that you love most.

Even without the burden of politics, we all rush through life, completing checklists and making sure all our i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.

Imagine, for just one day, that you give yourself the freedom to savor your favorite tunes; laugh with your kids or your friends; and take a break from answering texts and phone calls.

People are still busy fighting on social media about the election — an election that’s been over for a week, and that will be forgotten soon enough. You’re not missing anything.

So — let’s put the phones down, take a breath, recalibrate, and remind ourselves that life is a blessing. And that we are not the news. 

Shirin Yadegar is a political commentator, columnist and founder of www.lamommagazine.com.