Election Day Overwhelm? Finding Solace

By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder & CEO

Election Day has arrived, and if you're like me, you're already caught in that familiar cycle of refreshing browsers into oblivion. (Yes, I've checked mine three times while writing this sentence.) There's a tide of emotions rising in all of us – that mixture of hope, anxiety, and anticipation that comes with days like this. We're holding our breath together, our hopes flickering like candles in the wind, asking ourselves those big questions: "What if things don't go as I hope? What will this mean for our future?"

What I've learned from our community over the years – and my own meditation cushion can attest to this – is that we're never truly alone in these moments, even when it feels that way. There's a peculiar paradox to days like this: while we might feel isolated in our anxiety, we're actually all in this together, nervously checking our phones in perfect synchronicity.

The Weight of Uncertainty

I know many of you are feeling overwhelmed right now – I am too. (My meditation timer is getting quite the workout today.) The unknown presses upon us, stirring restlessness in our minds and tension in our bodies. Yet as we've explored together in our work, within every challenge lies an opportunity to deepen our practice and strengthen our connections.

Our election-day anxiety touches something fundamental – our hopes for safety, justice, prosperity, and well-being, not just for ourselves but for all those we hold dear. I'm reminded of Viktor Frankl's wisdom, which has guided so many of our discussions about finding meaning in difficult times. "When we are no longer able to change a situation," he wrote, "we are challenged to change ourselves." (Though I'm pretty sure he never had to deal with Twitter...)

I've been practicing this wisdom today each time I feel my heart race with another news update. Let me share what's actually helping: Instead of letting anxiety drive our actions, we can set specific times to check results. (I've set myself designated check-in times today - though I confess I'm already negotiating with myself about what counts as a "special update.") Better yet, reach out to others - I just texted my friend, who I know is also glued to the news, and simply sharing a moment of "this is intense" helped both of us exhale a bit.

Bridging the Divides

We often talk about how challenging times can create chasms between colleagues, friends, and family members. You know, those moments when your uncle's Facebook post makes your eye start twitching? Maya Angelou reminds us, "We are more alike, my friends than we are unalike." (Though I admit, this is harder to remember when someone puts anchovies on pizza – some divisions run deep.)

What might this look like today? Maybe it's resisting the urge to post that wickedly clever comment you just thought of (my delete key is getting a serious workout), or remembering that your colleague with the opposing yard sign is also hoping for a better future, just envisioning a different path there. I've found that simply texting a family member I disagree with politically to ask how they're doing can create a moment of genuine connection. No political talk required – we can always fall back on complaining about the weather.

Nurturing Hope

Many of you have asked me recently, "How do we maintain hope in such uncertain times?" I keep coming back to Nelson Mandela's story – how he emerged from 27 years of imprisonment with his spirit unbroken, urging us to let our choices reflect our hopes, not our fears. (If he could maintain hope through 27 years, surely we can make it through election night without checking FiveThirtyEight every five minutes, right? Right...?)

Today, I invite you to join me in actively choosing hope through meaningful action: help a neighbor get to their polling station, bring coffee to poll workers (they're the real MVPs), or be a calm presence for anxious colleagues (yes, even that one who keeps sending all-caps emails about the latest polls).

Moving Forward Together

If there's one thing our election anxiety proves, it's that we care deeply about our shared future. (That, and we really need better hobbies than refreshing news sites.) As your fellow recovering news-checker, I invite you to try these practices today:

• Notice when anxiety rises, using it as a reminder to pause and breathe (instead of panic-buying snacks)
• Reach out to one person who might be feeling equally overwhelmed (misery loves company, but in a good way)
• Choose one small action that reflects hope rather than fear
• Find moments to recognize our shared humanity, even across political lines (yes, even with the person who posts political memes at 4 AM)

The path forward isn't in denying our election-day emotions or letting them consume us. It's in understanding that our very concern connects us to millions of others who also long for a better world. In this shared hope, even amid uncertainty, we find our solace.

By holding space for ourselves and others with compassion, we create moments of genuine connection amid the tension. And remember - even if the practice isn't stopping you from checking your phone every five minutes, at least you're doing it a bit more mindfully now.

What are you doing to handle your election day emotions?