The Post-Election Cleanse: How to Center and Move Forward

November 10, 2016 by Heath 2 Comments

Well, we made it. The election is over, and we survived. It’s likely that half of you are elated at the seemingly miraculous Trump win, and the other half are devastated by the Clinton loss. For some, you didn’t vote for either of the two main candidates because you were already devastated that these were the choices you had. But we lived through it and now, as Hillary Clinton, president-elect Donald Trump and Barak Obama all said, it’s time to heal the divide.

Now, most of us aren’t in positions of political power; we aren’t the power brokers who can reach across the aisle and make concessions to push deals through. Instead, I’m talking about healing your own heart and any divides you may have created in your relationships at work, at church and at home.

Easier said than done, I know. But here are a few practical things you can do to cleanse your emotional system:

1. Practice stillness: Let go of the noise of news commentators, social media and the voices in your head (especially the Inner Critic). It’s super-easy right now to be gloating and snarky or angry and disappointed; choose not to take that wide path. Sit quietly, eyes closed, with just your own presence. Feel your own breath. Reconnect with the feeling of existing in the eternal now of God.
2. Pray: I’m talking the time-consuming, real-deal, speaking as well as listening kind of prayer. Do some soul-searching. After all, that’s where your personality is, the source of all conflict. Ask God to show you where you missed the mark in how you interacted with others, and if you’re in pain, give that to him. He loves to take it away. If there’s somebody you need to forgive, do that.
3. Mend fences: You may have been right on every point. You may even have received divine revelation about God’s will for this election (which I totally believe is possible, by the way). But, as The Enneagram Institute’s Russ Hudson says, “The cost of being right is love.” For every unloving social media post, send out two filled with compassion and hope. If you’ve argued with someone, what kind act of service can you render them? Write a note or tell them in person that your passion overcame your compassion and that you’d like to start over.
4. Take a break from responsible adulthood: Whether or not your candidate won, it’s been a long 18 months with a lot of emotion and sometimes hard decision-making. Here in California, for instance, the voter guide was 223 pages long! That’s a privilege and an awesome responsibility, and it makes us tired. So, if you haven’t already, do something for yourself that is joyful and life-giving. Me? I’m going Christmas shopping with family this weekend.

If you have any other suggestions on how to get centered and move forward, please share them!