CNN Health offers some insight into dealing with the post-election letdown…

Mourning over a lost campaign resonates with Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor who worked on Al Gore’s campaign in 2000. In a column for CNN.com, she recalled feeling lost and disillusioned at first, and had no idea what to do with her life.

“It hurts like hell,” she wrote. “It is like death of someone close to you — the difference is no corpse or casket to help bring closure, just more election analysis and pundits spewing out what you did wrong.”

She advises staff members, volunteers and supporters of candidates who lost on Tuesday to let out their grief: “Grieve. Mourn. Let it out.”

To combat the letdown of the period after the election, Molitor advises people to put routine back into their lives. Political junkies who lost their sleeping and eating routines should get back on schedule, she said. They should also take part in community activities, such as book clubs or other interest groups.

Even supporters of winning and losing candidates may feel a little off for two weeks or more, she said.

For some, the excitement will continue for a couple of weeks, until the reality sets in that the candidates they elected won’t be able to do anything until January, said Jana N. Martin, a licensed psychologist in Long Beach, California.

Anyone who feels depressed, hopeless or powerless after the election should realize that they as individuals have the ultimate control over their everyday lives, she said.

“The president is not going to find you a job; the president is not the one who manages your individual budgets,” she said. “If people want changes, they can do that in their day-to-day lives. They don’t need a candidate to do that.”

Those who feel truly overwhelmed should see a psychologist who can help them think out loud, she said. (read full article here…)

Wesleyan Resources: Office of Behavioral Health for Students

Tags: election, emotional health, emotions