Mindfulness tips to use when election stress overlaps with holiday stress

Written By Rachel Ann

It’s one thing to be stressed about the holiday season, which is “normal” for a lot of us - we’re used to feeling stressed by family dinners, expensive plane tickets, and struggling to feeling grateful like everyone else. And, we’re also used to stress around election time. But this year’s election was a special type of stress and now it’s overlapping with the holidays. So if you’re wondering why you’re feeling particularly anxious or numb, it’s because the level of stress is higher than normal and is so overwhelming.

No sweat my friend, here’s what we can do as Christian women of color.

Consider lowering your media consumption

There's a difference between being an informed person versus checking media outlets every few minutes. We should be informed, but there's a fine line between information and overload. Media outlets are very good at sucking you in, so don't take it personally. Instead, take some time to reflect on your media consumption and adjust it as needed. Ask yourself a few questions:

  • How do you feel after consuming media? If you feel empowered to do something, then great! If you feel overwhelmed or hopeless, then you may want to add some boundaries around your media consumption (timers, only checking twice a day, going to 1-2 trusted sources only, etc.)

  • Does watching the tv show, listening to the podcast, or being on social media help you stay informed? If yes, then great! If not, then add some boundaries there too. If the goal is to feel informed, then use media to do that - give you information, not stress.

  • Are you becoming desensitized or tempted to dehumanize or disrespect other people? If no, then great! If yes, then it may be a good time to set some boundaries. It's very easy to slip into these things - I do so myself - because we're human, we have emotions, and this special mix of election and holiday stress is hitting on so many layers of our humanity. So shake off the shame and ask God to help soften your heart in areas it's been hardened.

Engage in your hobbies

Reminding yourself that there's more to your life than checking the latest news trends is helpful. Yes, news is important...and so is taking care of your holistic health, which includes things like engaging in your hobbies, being around people, and moving your body. This is even more important if you plan to be an doer of change - you need energy to right the good fight and hobbies will help give you that energy.

When you engage with your hobbies, you're do a lot of good for yourself:

You're contributing to your emotional/mental wellness. When you do something that you enjoy, you're bringing peace and joy into your life. This provides a thick cushion for times of stress so it doesn't overwhelm your emotions. Think of it like a sandwich: when you have thick outer buns of joy, the burger of stress is embedded in a sandwich of peace that can withstand the stress.

Moving your body boosts your physical wellness. When you engage in physical activity, whether super sweaty or not, you're caring for yourself. And when you do that, you're empowering and energizing yourself to do any work you feel called to during this time (advocating, volunteering, etc). You're also moving the internal tension out of your body too.

It gets your brain going. Doing things that are creative, intellectual, or fun gets your brain juices flowing. A lot of activities require processes from your left side and right side of your brain, which means there will be lots of communication between the two is going on. That helps to keep you sharp and avoid things like brain fog or blanking out.

Don't underestimate the power of prayer

The Bible is filled with examples of people who prayed and relied on God during all types of seasons. That tells me that we can speak to God during any and all seasons and receive His grace, wisdom, and protection. So during this time, make it a habit to pray when you're feeling overwhelmed by the election, annoyed at someone with a different perspective, angry at family dinner, confused at super high plane tickets, worried about the future and more. Prayer can change you, the situation, or both.

What we don't talk about, when it comes to prayer and other spiritual disciplines, is that it’s hard to know when/how to pray when so much is on our mind and heart. Here's one method I use to help me structure my prayer time - the ACTS method:

  • Adoration: showing appreciation to God for who He is to you. A good place to start is to think about the characteristics of God that stand out you (loving father, creative, righteous judge, protector, comforter, etc.)

  • Confession: confession your sin. I know this seems scary, so remind yourself that you're also receiving God's grace. He's not pointing His fingers at you. He's sitting on the couch, talking with you about sin, grace, and figuring it all out.

  • Thanksgiving: gratitude towards God. Think about the things you're grateful for and take time to thank God for them.

  • Supplication: laying down your prayers and burdens at his feet. Pray those requests, wonderings, worries, questions, and everything.

My hope for you is that you feel God with you during this extra stressful time. He cares about your stress. He is with you, even when it's hard. He's near, always.💜

Need more support? Lemme help you sis:

Rachel Ann
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Boundaries are your friend, not the people who break them