MILWAUKEE — Split reactions across the country, with many celebrating the results of the 2024 election while others are living with post-election anxiety.
Megan Anderson, licensed counselor and founder of Therapist and a Couch in Milwaukee, says feeling lost or anxious after the election is completely normal. “You’re in really good company. I think that there is a good portion of our nation that is still reeling,” said Anderson. “One of the pieces of data that we’ve been learning over these last few election cycles is that this is a huge — HUGE — significant source of stress.”
Anderson spoke with WTMJ’s “Wisconsin’s Afternoon News” about the really intense form of grief some are feeling after the election. “For a lot of us, the world is maybe not the world we thought it once was and the next four years are not gonna look how we were hoping or expecting them to.” She says it’s important for people to allow themselves to grieve and adds leaning on a support system, like family and other loved ones to rest and take a breath can be incredibly helpful.
She also says it can be important to take space, which can be especially hard if family or friends are celebrating a political victory or trying to discuss it before someone is ready. Anderson says being open about needing time and setting boundaries with family and friends can often be the best route when needing space. “We are all really geared towards connection and right now it might just be really hard to connect, and I hope that we can all learn to give ourselves some space for that to be okay.”
Anderson says taking a break from social media can also help create space but admits that can be hard to do. She says when people find themselves trying to avoid social media only to find themselves scrolling again moments later, “I’d love for it to be as simple as, ‘Let’s get off of it for a little bit,’ but I’ll be honest, I’ve been telling myself that all day today and I don’t even think I’ve stuck to my own advice.”
She admits it can help to examine why that is and what they might need from that social interaction. “I would ask myself, or anybody else, ‘When I continue to engage in something that is not in line with me taking care of myself, what is that about?'” Anderson says often people are looking for reassurance, a sense of normalcy, or words of wisdom.
She recommends taking a beat and recovering can someone keep going. “I will try and tell people to have a little faith. When you’re taking a break isn’t also collectively when everyone else in the universe is taking a break. You can take a breath. Other people are stepping up to the plate — and they’ll need to take a breath and you’ll step back up to the plate.” Anderson continued, “Do what you need to do, so you can get back up and stay politically motivated and involved.”
She says staying engaged is often what feels best when everything else feels out of control.
