Need to distract yourself from election anxiety? Try this - Page 5 of 8 - INTO
Election Anxiety

Need to distract yourself from election anxiety? Try this

Henry Giardina

At this point, if your nerves haven’t been shredded to bits by this election cycle, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. But for those of us who can do nothing but pay attention, it’s getting pretty difficult to function as a normal member of society. As we reach the last mile of a neck-breaking, harrowing, terrifying Presidential race, we’re all in need of ways to support our mental health and take our minds off whatever happens tonight.

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So here are some tips for the ones who have spent late, nail-biting nights staring at the ceiling thinking about the worst case scenario. These are for the stressed ones, the sleepless ones, the ones who have developed an eye twitch and multiple canker sores just from watching the news. If you’re looking for ways to get your sanity back while the votes roll in, here are our suggestions.

Watch a drag queen commune with wildlife!

I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with All Star finalist Miz Cracker, but this is your reminder not to sleep on the fantastically quirky queen. She’s up to some amazing things on Instagram, including taking trips to hang out with the wildlife at the Oregon Zoo. Cracker brings her signature charm to every meet cute, and the result is adorable, life-affirming, and a genuine breath of fresh air in these times.

Watch two queens kiki the house down apples and oranges!

Speaking of the fabulous House of the Drag Queen, let’s also not forget that over on TikTok, the legendary and hilarious queens Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change have been teaming up to promote their podcast Sibling Rivalry, and the sound bytes that make it to the app are choice. Consider a recent snippet where the queens take on what might be the most important debate of our times: apples vs. oranges.

@siblingrivalrypodcast

Are you team 🍏 or 🍊?

♬ original sound – Bob and Monét

Read queer comics from another era

Call me crazy, but I keep not one but two copies of Alison Bechdel’s The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by my bedside at all times. Why? Because it keeps me sane. It’s wonderful to know that no matter how hard times get, I can always re-enter the world of Mo, Lois, Ginger, Toni, and Clarice and find that the gals are usually facing a similarly dire political landscape, even though they’re going through it during the 80s and 90s. Why is that comforting? Because we’ve gotten through bad stuff before, and we will again. If the bad thing happens, we’ll survive like we always do—somehow.

Watch a gripping horror movie

I know it often feels like we’re living in a horror movie of our own, but you’d be surprised how quickly things fall into perspective when you’re watching someone else get chased by an army of zombies. Horror movies aren’t for everyone, but for those of us who love them, they provide the ultimate relief: complete and total distraction from our present cares. At the end of a great horror movie, you’ll be excited just to be alive and to not have to deal with the trauma of what, say, the kids of The Faculty had to go through.

If you have pets, spend time with them

This one might feel obvious, but if you have pets, let them guide you during this difficult time. Pets don’t know what’s happening in the world (though they can certainly pick up on human stress levels) and there’s something sweet in knowing that no matter what happens politically, our pets will remain blissfully ignorant of all of it. Take your dogs for a walk and try to notice the world as they’re noticing it. Sure, they’re obsessed with mysterious heaps of feces on the ground, but they’re also looking up at the sky, taking in nature, and listening to the world around them.

@cheyanneherrera

She will sit like that the full 2.5 hours 😂 #yorkie #yorkiesoftiktok #yorkiemom #yorkiesoftiktok #yorkies #yorkshireterrier #yorkiepuppy #yorkielover #yorkielife #yorkielovers #dogdad #dogmom #dogsoftiktok

♬ gilmore lala –

Bake or cook something

I know, I know: the last thing you want to do right now is cook. But what if it was extremely low risk? Assembling nachos and throwing them into the oven still counts as cooking! Heating up a can of soup or making Tollhouse cookies also counts! Anything that reminds you to eat and keeps you busy with your hands is good, and if you’re in need of inspiration, allow British Bake-Off turbo-hunk Dylan Bachelet to be your muse.

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Take a nap, if you can.

I know that peaceful dreams have not been in the cards for the past few…weeks? Months? But you have to try. Put on that sleep mask, draw those curtains, throw on some white noise and try your best to get some probably much-needed shut-eye until the results come in. Obviously this is easier said than done, but we have tools at our disposal that can help. What about popping a gummy or two? Or taking a nice bath? Have you head the good word of Sleepytime Extra? Go get some. Hopefully by the time you wake up, we’ll be living in a much less scary country.

Henry Giardina (he/they) is the editor of INTO. He lives in Los Angeles. Past publications include the New York Times, The Believer, The New Yorker, The Paris Review Daily, The Atlantic, Film Comment, and Gizmodo. He is @punkgroucho on Twitter.

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