Also watching The Diplomat, and for some reason I decided to watch The Post and All The President's Men this weekend. Very anxious, not very doomscroll-y (less than the past two elections) in that I'm doing a better job of self care, but I think the time between now and January 20th will be extremely fraught no matter what happens tomorrow. I am preparing for a longer period of stress, in other words.

Three keys for me. The first is I'm living my life as best I can. Watched sports, spent great time with the family, worked out and worked. The second is I'm assuming Trump wins. The third is I'm allowing for a little bit of secret optimism. It's sort of working?

I'm having a rough time. I can always tell when things have gotten especially acute when the skin on my right forearm feels like it's on fire and unbearably itchy. That's been this morning.
I've done (and am doing) what I can. But my lack of faith in people, generally, has me pretty worried.

I started watching Detroiters for the first time. It’s hilarious. On the flip side, I took my 10 year-old to see Hamilton this weekend. It felt good? I was already stressed about the election and it didn’t change that, but it did bring out my hopeful side. Also, he was totally into it, which made me happy.

Anxious. Hopeful. Want it over with. Preparing what to do if he wins and trying not to think negatively at the same time. Fingers crossed for some good news tomorrow. Because if it's good news the exhale will be astronomical. If it's not, I'll need to figure out how to cope in healthy ways.

Optimistic...yet terrified?
I have an obligation lined up to keep me away from screens for a crucial 75+ minute period in the evening tomorrow.
8 years ago I woke up* the next morning and signed up to be a mentor and began demoing our bathroom. Hoping I'll be in less need of a distraction project this time around.

*I didn't actually wake up as I never fell asleep. That's when the doomscrolling really took over.

Last week I distracted myself by planning a big trip for next year. That's not working for me anymore, but I thought I would offer it up to the rest of you as an idea.

Thank you for this post. The last few weeks I've done what I could to prepare for the worst and help where I can. I also started watching season 2 of the Diplomat-but I have to rewatch the finale of last season because it does pick up right where it was with no reminders. When I get to feeling really panicked I just think of my kids and am determined to make sure that the decisions and actions I take in my life going forward always represent the goodness and generosity that can and should exist in this world. I want them to be able to be hopeful and that begins with me and how I face the world.

Just want to give a special "I see you" to my fellow people with Trumpy relatives. Just adds a special layer of cognitive dissonance to an already-stressful moment. (Nope, I'm not OK.)

The new Cure album has helped quite a lot. It's very dark and very good. So now I'm learning Cure songs on the guitar (and also playing 'Heroes' over and over because it seems fitting). Music and running are good. Also thinking a lot about how art and mutual aid can help at the community level regardless of what happens.

I was doing a good job of avoiding most anxiety because we’ve been here before and either way, life goes on. I guess I feel a little resigned (as someone above said, expecting the worst and allowing some optimism for the alternative) and have been trying to focus more on family and work and things I actually enjoy instead. Unfortunately, I’m in Pittsburgh so it’s basically been forced front and center due to competing rallies in town today with both candidates. My mom is in the hospital and none of us are planning to go visit for the next two days because we expect traffic, parking, and people to be ridiculous.

As a Detroit Lions fan, I'm doing GREAT.
Just watched the series pilot of The Diplomat with my wife last night and really enjoyed the Wyler's relationship right off the bat -- hope the rest of the series is as fun.
My colleague and I are in the process of taking over the business from the original owners, and I don't have an owner's mentality (yet), so I have this background hum of stress that I never had before.

Somewhat anxious and scared. I say that Positivity is my super power, and I'm thinking positive but it feels very tenuous, VERY tenuous. I read Letters to an American for grounding myself, I really take in what she writes. On Substack I really enjoy God for when I need a dash of humor.

Election night, I'll be sitting in a silent mediation that NY Insight is offering for 2 hours. When I leave there I already know I'll want a stiff drink. (maybe not).

Optimistic about the election itself but worried about what is going to come after. I'm 100% confident that Trump will declare victory Tuesday night / Wednesday morning regardless of what happens. It's going to be chaos between now and January 20th regardless.

I am feeling pretty confident of Harris winning. The House races do concern me a lot though. But that said, unemployment has kept me distracted, which is perhaps a silver lining.

My anxiety is high, but I still have hope, no matter who.. or what, or when? Music and long walks will save tomorrow.

My anthem for moments like this, Steve Prestwich’s (drummer of Australian rock band Cold Chisel and, in this version, Little River Band) When The War Is Over, is running on repeat right now. And I need to make myself dinner. Peace out.

I'm the same mix of optimistic, anxious, and resigned that was I was in 2020, but now amped up to 11. I'm glad i have plenty of distractions this week (new carpets!, dental appt, etc), but this is a good reminder that these 'normal life' things are not the distractions. They're the real thing, and it's the meta-anxiety of the election that's actually the distraction IMO.
SHOUT OUT to Heather Cox Richardson for her coverage and work educating us on US History and politics. She really puts things into perspective for me.
I feel like Harris is going to clearly win the election and then it's going to be tied up in law suits, sporadic violence and endless pontificating for months. In a sense, we're just now getting to the start line.

I'm so glad you asked. I'll be working the polls tomorrow so I'll be off social media all day. It's been the best coping mechanism I've found so far!
I like imagining a future where Kamala Harris is President and we won't have to worry about every little thing. (But we will absolutely need to keep on her so that the inclination to have a Republican on the cabinet doesn't turn into a rejection of Progressive ideals.)
What I can't even imagine is a future where Trump is president again. That means that people saw the chaos of 2016-2020 and this vile campaign and said "yeah, more of that." Being part of the "resistance" was energizing in 2016. This time arond, I've got no stomach for it. There's no other country to run to, and I like this country. But oof, there are too many people who fell hard for maga, and I don't know how we reconcile.

Definitely feeling very uncertain and all over the place about the election, with sprinkled pockets of rage when some Trumper comes tearing down our street with a flag on the roof of his car. We have extra anxiety in my house because my wife is a naturalized citizen but was only 4 years old at the time and we're unsure what rules could be changed (under DJT) to endanger her status. (We are very lucky in that she works for an excellent law firm.) I've been a poll worker since 2021 and tomorrow is my first presidential election. This has helped a bit with my own anxiousness in that I have something substantive to do on the day. Our site is very chill (mostly seniors and nuns) luckily. (If I can make a pitch to anyone under say 70 with good hearing who’s thinking about working the polls, PLEASE DO IT!) The thing I’m really dreading is the weeks and months of GOP ratfuckery that’s going to follow in the courts and state legislatures. Sending everyone some hugs and soothing beverages of your choice!

Voted early in Ohio and had to take a loop around the polling place mid ballot looking for a chair as I was in such an emotional state. Collected myself and got the job done standing up.

Been drifting to election streams between tasks but really, really trying to keep my schedule stacked. When that fails I've found my Threads 'For You' page is the most optimistic destination, with blue dots reporting in that they've completed the assignment in red states and all other corners of the country.

As others have said, I have decided to protect myself from the 2016 anxiety whiplash by just assuming that Trump is going to win again. I would rather experience a pleasant surprise with a Harris win than feel utterly blindsided by another Trump win. I definitely have some slivers of hope, but I think it's going to be very tight.

Tonight, I'm planning on watching The Way I See It on Apple TV, Pete Souza's documentary. Hopefully, it will give me hope for Tuesday.

Appreciate the concern, J. Here in blue Harris County Tx - surrounded by red - I teeter totter between great swells of confidence and fetal position covers-over-head retreat. So...I'M COOKING DELICIOUS THINGS! Let's see:
Butter basted steaks, Fried Chicken, Noodles with green onion and garlic oil, Texas chili and Cheese enchies, Pad Thai, Shrimp in spicy tomato sauce with feta, Fresh halibut with brown butter, Baked tofu, brocollini and melted provolone on ciabatta, El Reno OK Onion burgers (My family hails from El Reno) with Ore Ida tots...
The anxiety keeps the weight off.
Please vote everyone and I'll see you on the other side.
Love to all.

I'm a bit of a mess. Last week was bad for a number of reasons, but all of it exacerbated by pre-election stress. Not looking forward to Wednesday morning, but at least then we'll know if we're merely doomed or totally fucked. I'm hoping that, whatever the results, I'll at least be able to move forward with my life a little.

I have a pit in my stomach. Apparently Trump is holding a rally here tonight (Grand Rapids, MI), just a couple blocks from my gym. I'm hoping, if I head down there within the next hour, I can get to the gym and back without incident. The city seems very "blue" from the yard signs, but if you stray a little ways into the suburbs and especially the more rural areas, it turns "red" really fast. I suppose it's like that in a lot of cities. I'm just as bewildered as the rest of you by the huge number of Trump supporters — even some friends and family members — after all he's done and said. It's nice to hear from those of you who are optimistic. It helps me beat back the despair.

Oh people, it's really hard right now! I'm feeling so angry and defeated that we are even in this position, and I don't have a great plan to get through the next few days/weeks (maybe years depending!).
I'm glad to read this today because it makes me realize I really need a plan. So maybe to crib from other posters here: music, exercise, plan a good dinner for Tuesday. Actually, I might invite some neighbors over for a game night if they are in the same can't-look state of mind.
I think I'm assuming the worst but based on the tightness in my throat a little hope survives.

Pleased to report that my bike ride did the trick, dopamine-wise. If you can, step away from the screens for awhile and move your body.

Thanks for asking. Didn't know I wanted to hear how/what you and others are doing & share how I am until I read the posts. I'm working to stay emotionally neutral--which means I've muted a couple of WhatsApp groups where the anxiety is high and I'm giving social media a wide berth. My twin sons turn 21 tomorrow so I spent the early morning baking pumpkins bundt cakes to send to them. That was a comforting and enjoyable focus and soon I'm heading to the gym. At times I let myself feel "nauseously optimistic"--e.g. I was in rural Idaho last week and saw far more Harris/Walz signs than I expected. It's anecdotal, it's unlikely Idaho is going blue but those signs felt like small lamps shining out in the wilderness. I was glad to see them. Tomorrow I'll make sure to get some time outside in the trees. I find geologic time to be a comfort.

Things have been rough. Between college EA/ED deadlines on Friday (I'm in the field) and the election anxiety-to-distraught spectrum, the emotional and physical exhaustion has been ringing in my ears and making me sigh a weary, "Okay" out loud to no one every 5-15 minutes.

I've been canvassing for Colin Allred. I'm temporarily here in Texas, so I didn't know what to expect. It's been eerily positive (in the downtown district of a city with pop. 25,000), but I daren't feel hopeful.

This week, I discovered the wonderful world of vegetarian Indian food in a pouch. Now, I make crazy delicious aloo gobi, chana masala, and daal variations. My daughter refuses to eat takeout naan because she likes mine so much. But c'mon, a bowl of turmeric rice and chana masala that's ready in 2 minutes, organic, not served in takeout styrofoam, and costs under $10 for 2 people? It's going in the gratitude journal.

Grateful for a moment to be wholly honest and present in community.

I believe our real work will begin on January 21, especially if Kamala Harris wins. I truly believe she wants to and can do good for so many, but only if the road is cleared through down-ballot victories. Then, we must sign up for even more phone banking, protesting, canvassing, and showing up to keep the pressure up to actually do something. And who knows, if people actually see Democrats doing right by them, they might stay on our side and they might actually stop being afraid of the word "progress(ive)."

Thank you for the opportunity. It feels good just to let it out - I am freaking out!

2 tidbits:
1. I stopped listening to election podcasts about a week ago, just to keep it from consuming me.
2. I was in Madison, WI recently and, holy wow, is that city growing rapidly. People from all over the country are migrating there and most of them are Dems, so I’m hoping that Madison will help put WI in the Harris column.

Today I shelved my low-grade election/end-times anxiety that's been simmering for three months. I skipped the NYT headlines and went straight for the games this morning (and Alphaguess). I'm opting out of my usual NPR/Daily consumption today. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll take a walk in the park with my son. Then, I'll come home and allow myself to be engulfed by what comes, be it panic, wary optimism, rage, or deep sadness. And Wednesday morning I scheduled a workout.

The will of the people will be clear, millions of more people are going to vote against this insanity. Unfortunately, everything hinges on whether a few thousand geographically dispersed, low propensity voters, in a handful of states decide to submit a ballot or not. We're basically all at the mercy of RNGesus and once I really accepted that fact I shifted from being extremely nervous to being somewhat interested.

This is a bad system, and I abhor that we have to live with it.

Our band typically rehearses on Tuesday nights. Over the weekend we had a text thread working out whether we still play election night. Decided the best thing for all of us is to play. We can check election returns afterwards. Watching news slowly roll in is way too anxiety inducing. Not to fiddle while Rome burns but maybe a final distraction before taking that ice cold plunge back into reality. Hope you all find some calming way to get through the night.

I spent Sunday afternoon at my friendly local comic and hobby game store playing Dungeons & Dragons. There were five of us. We see each other around the store but don’t really know each other. But we came together and saved the world! It was really just the best time and a wonderful total escape from everything in the real world.

I'm curious as to whether or not the other side feels this same anxiety.

Like, for them, if orange jesus loses, well, their guy lost and maybe some immigrants will stay here and trans people will continue to exist (or whatever they fear - I'm at a loss to figure it out), but at the same time, they have to know that the country will at least be run....competently. Just not to their desires with exacting retribution on (fill in the blank).

Or, do they really see a Harris presidency as the possible end of the United States?

Doing okay. Not bad, not great. Anxious.

Enjoying some time with Poirot and maybe a dive into The Good Place (comfort TV for me). Distracting myself with some planned bike modifications and dreaming of my next build (Tanglefoot Cycles Moonshiner).

Nervous yet hopeful.

I recently saw Lee at the movies and was blown away by how incredible it was. One part right at the beginning has stayed with me, where Lee and her artist friends are dancing in front of projected footage of a Hitler rally and one of the characters says something like "the only sensible thing to do at times like this is to dance."

I went to see Thom Yorke in concert on the weekend and I thought of that part of the film and agreed. Dancing, listening to music, riding bikes, spending time with our loved ones, is the only rational thing to do in the face of *all this*. (Except for voting of course, if you're American).

Thanks for asking, and thanks to everyone for sharing. I've been on a roller coaster of emotions this week, mostly oscillating between a sickly hopefulness and pits of despair, lightly punctuated with terror, anger, joy, and giving no fucks. Coping strategies have ranged from bike rides, Tai chi, philosophy, and poetry, to vodka lemonade, crying, baking bundt cakes, mindless tasks, and binge watching Lincoln Lawyer in bed.

I took a bus sponsored by CA Democrats to Yuma, Arizona with 20 other citizens weekend before last to door knock for the Harris and Gallegos campaigns. I am no activist but it felt good to do something active.

Door knocking is pretty hit and miss. I believe I successfully encouraged one undecided voter into supporting Harris.

I was only slightly more successful in exchanging words with fatalists and cynics convinced that the system is broken. My pitch was that character matters, full stop, but I found myself relating to their sense of existential doom.

I identify with the feeling that things are on the wrong track. It's not like the Biden/Harris campaign solved all the problems. it's not like the problems they did solve were absolute. And it's easy to see the hypocrisy moving in all directions.

I've been listening to too many political wonk podcasts. I hope that once the election is over I can disengage a bit.

It turns out that election anxiety is not geographically limited to the U.S. territory. Hello from Canada. 🇨🇦 My wife and I are in varying degrees of worry over here and we're doing everything we can to stay away from political news and discussions. I think one of my biggest fears is we thought that hearing inanities every day for four years was bad the first time around. Now we don't know the limits of how bad it could get, and violence is definitely (and unfortunately) on the list. Hoping very much that sanity and human decency will prevail.

Whatever happens, I promise I will not cut my hair later this week into a short bob, like I did in 2016. That was a bad idea.

I am a poll worker for the first time! I've been assigned as a runner, so I will learn all the different stations. That will keep me busy from 6:30 am to about 8PM, and after that it's dinner and a trip to the gym. Thinking of having a cocktail after, and going to bed early. NO MSNBC or CNN.

I am cautiously optimistic, but I am also preparing myself that even if it goes well tomorrow, it will be a long wait until this is all wrapped up in January. I am on a thread of other rural organizers, and from what I can tell, the GOP is pretty rattled in places where they usually don't have to put in any effort at all to win. So, fingers crossed.

I'm finding myself strangely numb this time. Maybe it's distance, as I'm temporarily living in Europe and I'm a dual citizen, but I don't think so. I was here in 2016, as well, and was fairly obsessed by the election, which is more normal for me. This time I've tuned most of the polling and pontification out, I guess because I've been down this road before and honestly I don't think it can tell me much.

Also, I've voted in two elections this fall. I mailed my U.S. ballot the same day as my Canadian (provincial) ballot, and the provincial election has more effect on my current life. It's a privilege to have that sense of distance for now. (I'm fully aware that it'll catch up to me when I move back and need to cross the border with my kid and without my spouse, just as it did last time.)

At any rate, I can't get too invested today, as polls won't close until just before I wake up tomorrow morning. I'm just going to go about a normal day of work, with maybe a long walk along the river if the fog lifts. Same tomorrow. Like others here, I'm pretty sure that no matter what I wake up to tomorrow, it won't be even close to over for months.

Not doing great. I live in California, so my vote won't swing much, but it is dismal to know that about half of my country doesn't give a flying F if I live or die. And knowing that even if he loses, Trump plans to declare a win and rally any gun nuts he can to go on rampages. I hate everything about it, and I just want it to end and for him and his ilk to go down in massive flames.

I'm in awe of how quickly Harris spun up the campaign and how well it's all been organized, especially given the short runway. The message, the focus, the outreach, the design, the energy, the teamwork, the disciplined rollout until the very last day. Plus, given her experience, I don't think she'll let him steal it—so I feel guarded but optimistic. (Plus, I latched onto Allan Lichtman's 13 keys and won't let go.)

I don't know about the election, but my team **might** be getting canned, and I **might** keep my job. I don't know. Its up to upper management. But they have been behind on payroll, so maybe getting laid off and finally getting paid is the way to go.

So I'm doing alright considering this.

Spent a weekend shift at the hospital being alternately ignored and verbally abused by an attending physician that “everyone knows” is a jerk, but has somehow still practiced medicine at our children’s hospital for decades.

I reported it, mostly because I was really shaken up by being yelled at so much that I couldn’t make it into work on Monday.

I feel about as positive about the election as I do about my report having any permanent consequences.

gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I feel gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Very gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

bad

Waffling between disassociation and existential dread. I know there are reasonable people out there, millions of them voted and I talk to good people every day. I'm just very sad.

I feel profoundly sad and at a loss. What to do now? I guess I can give myself a few days/weeks to figure out how best to serve my country in light of this result.

I had allowed myself to be cautiously optimistic. Heartbroken.

Dreadful and disoriented, honestly. My inherent optimism and faith that there are more good people than not has crashed pedal-to-the metal into the hard reality of grievance, racism and misogyny. I vastly overestimated the citizens of this country, it seems. Be soft with yourselves today readers. Go outside and find all the small, good things.

It's really hard to grapple with this outcome, which feels like just such a refutation of bedrock things you wish people would all believe: that laws matter, that wrong-doers are punished, that we should care for the vulnerable, that money and might don't make right. This feels like a triumph for selfishness and complete impunity for the extremely wealthy. I'm honestly really worried about what they'll do with this power again.

Sadly, not surprised. We have all been told and have seen countless examples, yet still believe people will come to their senses. We have been on this road way too long to be surprised.

I woke every two hours last night. That was tough. Around 4:00 I wondered "What is the thing I don't understand about a large swathe of Americans? What am I missing?" I also feel a random spiky anger at Joe Rogan--57 years old, my age--and the idea the guys who were jerks in high school are running the show.

awful, tbh

It's been a hard day.

2004 was a hard election, but it was explicable: Bush's popularity was waning in a roughly straight line ever since its post-911 high. He goosed it just enough to win in 2004.

2016 was a hard election, but it was a surprise to everyone.

This one is different, we know who Trump is, and we collectively chose him after he told us who he was and promised mass deportations. We did it after January 6th, being impeached twice, being convicted of 30+ felonies and rape charges. I'm having trouble reconciling my vision of what America is and should be with this measurement of what America claims it wants. Mismatches like these, while they cause growth, also hurt. So I'm hurting and worrying for people who are now in the crosshairs.

Emotionally, this is less viscerally brutal than 2016.

Intellectually, it is much, much worse. I am deeply worried about the damage a unified republican executive-legislative-judiciary will do to voting access and fairness of elections. Once that is undermined the return becomes a lot harder.

I’m also deeply frustrated by the gross entitlement on display. This extension of jingoistic god loves America bs alongside rank ignorance of history. Most of humanity has lived under illiberal government. Perhaps our own moment is just a blip—none of this is guaranteed. To treat it like it’s a birthright is the worst entitlement.

I'm grateful today that this jumped into my queue: Laurie Anderson's orchestral performance of a poem I've longed loved, Cavafy's "Waiting for the Barbarians."

today was really hard. joined this community today and i'm glad to be here though. trying to think of tangible ways that i can stay focused on the present & not catastrophize, and finding pockets of sanity and community online is one of them. (it's never been more glaring how much of a toxic swirl reddit and instagram have become.)

disappointed in people. i'm usually pretty cynical but let myself believe that we as humans were better than this. turns out we aren't.