Tired of politics? Doctors weigh in on how to deal with post-election stress
(CBS DETROIT) — Americans are feeling a lot these days after the 2024 election, and doctors say that however you're feeling, now is an opportunity to take good care of yourself.
"I'm terrified, I am extremely unhappy," said Charlyn. "I thought we had it in the bag. I'm worried about rights being lost, I'm worried about having to pay more in taxes as a single parent."
Those worries are totally understandable, says Dr. Molly O'Shea, a pediatrician with Birmingham Pediatrics in Bloomfield Township.
"The first thing you can do is take a breath and let yourself be quiet and calm and relax. Give yourself some space and take a day or two to recover from the loss and grieve it a little bit," said O'Shea.
O'Shea says that after you process how you're feeling, it's time to look around and focus on the positive things in your life.
"After those couple days of refocusing and finding your joy again and being grateful for what you have-- if you're motivated to find a pathway to making change there are always ways to do that," she said.
If the candidate or party you voted for won, Dr. Jenny Yu, the chief medical officer with Healthline, says it's still important to engage in respectful conversations with people who voted differently from you.
"I think it's just important to be mindful of the respect and kindness we show. These events don't change who we are as people," said Yu.
Both doctors say it's OK to ask your loved ones to simply talk about something other than politics at the Thanksgiving table.
"Remember that taking care of yourself is going to allow you to embrace the world with your whole self intact-- and that takes nutrition, it takes rest, it takes exercise, and that takes being out in the world," said O'Shea.