The past few days have felt like a waking nightmare for many of us. To be sure, any presidential election is bound to have its fair share of disappointments. But in the wake of Tuesday’s shocking results, many are also dealing with heavier emotions, including heartbreak, hopelessness, hopelessness and perhaps even sadness.
We usually associate grief with losing someone. people (Or maybe a beloved pet). But the truth is, you don’t have to experience physical death to feel that gut-wrenching pain. Many Americans are currently reeling from various losses. Dr. Adia GoodenA Chicago-based clinical psychologist tells SELF — and even though they’re not necessarily tied to specific people, they’re just as valid (and distressing).
Perhaps your sadness comes not just from which candidate won. “Elections offer the promise of the future you wanted,” Dr. Gooden explains. (After all, they can affect everything from our laws and rights to social norms.) That future could include, for example, actual action on climate change or the first female president. (a person who is black and from the South), etc., may have included things like affordable health insurance. Same goes for Asians). So when those hopes are shattered and feel out of reach, it’s natural to mourn their loss and experience a cycle of disbelief, frustration, numbness, and/or existential fear. she says.
Another thing to consider: “People may also be grieving the emotional investment they made in a particular outcome or vision.” Michelle Nealon, Ph.D. in Psychologythe president of the Chicago School tells SELF. You may have spent hours campaigning in battleground states or posting voting resources and infographics on Instagram, but now that effort feels like a complete waste. Or maybe you’ve endured a tedious conversation with a bigoted family member. In these cases, Dr. Nealon says, “grief may be about a predicted path or a set of values that they believed would improve their life and community.” “And it’s normal to have to process and adapt to a reality that’s different than the one you worked so hard to get.”
But most of us currently in the depths of grief are not only worried about what has already happened, but also worried about what-if scenarios regarding certain freedoms, protections, and promises. It was done I will be taken away. “Unlike grief over past events, anticipatory grief is focused on future possibilities, which can create a lingering sense of anxiety and make it difficult to find peace,” Dr. Nealon explains. I will.
