Tuesday’s presidential election upset had half of voters feeling thrilled and the other half possibly feeling sad, scared and maybe even depressed.
Clinical psychologist Ellen Casper even coined a new phrase, “Post-traumatic Election Disorder."
“Something is different regarding people’s experience with this connection. They feel almost personally connected to the candidate,” Dr. Casper said.
She said the feelings are similar to those experienced when a loved one dies.
“Everything from mild to medium depression, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, irritability, avoidance of work. People have actually shared with me they have not come into work the last two days,” she said.
Dr. Casper advised against skipping work. In fact she said people should try to cope with the election stress by getting back into a routine. That means going to work and exercising.
For Katie Ong-Landini, it means turning to her faith in God.
She spent her Thursday afternoon at an intimate healing service at Cleveland’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
“You can’t change it, but you can change how you react,” she said, “And you can know that God is present.”
Cathedral Canon Kay Rackley told worshippers that understanding God meant trying to understand others with whom one may disagree.
“It’s through the other that we discern the divine. That’s the point of Jesus,” she said. “How we view the other, how we see the other, how we treat the other is critical to a life of faith.”
Dr. Casper said it’s important not to bottle up feelings of stress, but to let them out and talk to friends. She also said it’s important to to just give it some time.
