The election is a mere week away and it seems to be bringing out the worst in people. Palin in a noose as part of a Halloween display? A plot to assassinate Obama? It’s terrifying, regardless of what side of the coin you’re on. How, exactly, did things go so awry? It seems the proverbial you-know-what has hit the you-know-what.
I’ve always been interested in the goings-on of the government, but I’ve never felt so deeply invested in what’s been happening in our country than I do right now. And the hits just keep on coming.
There’s the economy, of course. Though it pains me to say it, I don’t quite get exactly what’s happening and what the implications are on our future stability. When things are sailing smoothly, this stereotypical aversion anything associated with numbers is merely my Achilles Heel. When things are decidedly not OK, like now, you might as well be telling me the four horsemen of the apocalypse just galloped down Wall Street. I’ll believe you. By its very nature, the stock market already seemed to me like unnecessary chaos—like going surfing during a hurricane on purpose—but I always assumed that people who weren’t me had things fairly under control. Now, the thought of a bunch of suits running around wringing their hands is maddening.
So that’s the biggie. But, you know, besides that, just the daily reminder of the ignorance, intolerance and outright bigotry that still exists here is enough to make me feel completely unglued. Maybe I shouldn’t let it affect me so viscerally, but I can’t help it.
It’s not that surprising that a recession can have a significant impact on your mental health. A recent article on the Web site for ABC News talks about this very thing (Others feel the same way as I do? I feel better already).
“Recession depression,” if you will, can be lessened in a few simple ways:
1) Enjoy things that cost little (or nothing). Take a walk in the park, have a snowball fight or just linger over a family dinner at home. Norman Rockwell doesn’t have the patent on good, clean, wholesome fun that just so happens to be free.
2) Focus on the good things. It can be anything. Here,let me get you started.
3) Recognize it’s not your fault. We’ve kind of been a little self-centered these past few decades. Sometimes things are just bigger than you. Just don’t jump the shark there, buddy. Certain things can equally be ameliorated by all of us sticking together and doing the right thing (i.e. don’t forget to recycle).
Personally, I comfort myself in the knowledge that these things are historically cyclical, and I’m sure there have been many times before that your average citizen felt like this little experiment we call “America” was going to be scrapped for a lack of funding. Grandparents would really come in handy right about now. I need someone to tell me about the olden days and how things have been way worse, even if it’s not necessarily true.
Let me wrap this one up with a gentle reminder to vote. Also, be nice to each other. And in the spirit of free things that make me feel a little better, I will leave you with a little excerpt from a poem I came across yesterday. (full disclosure: I’m not a poetry person, but this one kind of makes me want to reconsider my position on it).
From Langston Hughes’ ”Let America Be America Again”:
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain
All, all the stretch of these great green states
And make America again!
