Friday Night Soother: Baby elephant!
by digby
h/t to The Pie Master for this one:
Watch the baby elephant though😂😂👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/GSEV1JgOTz
— Jimmy ✊🏾 #PowerToThePeople (@jwheels74) October 29, 2018
Do what you have to do this week-end. Don’t stress. Don’t eat your feelings.
The midterm elections are turning out to be nearly as stressful as the 2016 presidential election — especially for Democrats.
According to a poll conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the fitness site Daily Burn, Democrats are 50 percent more likely than Republicans to say they’re “eating their feelings” as a result of the current political climate. They’re also drinking more (a 2-to-1 ratio over their GOP counterparts).
The ostensibly good news is that these stressed out Democrats are also working out more, by as much as 40 percent; but even exercise can be overdone.
“I’m seeing some people so stressed at the moment they’re doing two, even three soul cycle classes at day,” Dr. Navya Mysore, a primary care doctor, tells NBC News BETTER. “Exercise is good for you, but too much is not. You [risk] dehydration and your body needs time to rest and rejuvenate.”
What appears to be happening among many concerned voters, is that they’re resorting excessively to the habits that help us de-stress, whether that’s eating, drinking or exercising.
“Depending on how you’re used to dealing with stress, people tend to gravitate toward that habit more,” says Dr. Mysore. “If you had a hard day, you’ll have a glass of wine, so maybe you’re doing that more. Same for people who are stress eaters — they’ll eat more. If you’re more prone to sweat it out when stressed, then you’ll do that more.”
How do we stop the stress-induced madness?
They offer the usual healthy tips. But there’s really only one that will help this week-end:
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND OUT IN THE COMMUNITY
Emotional eating, drinking your feelings and even excess workouts aren’t productive ways of handling any amount of stress, and they certainly won’t help shift the results of the election.
Rather than succumbing to this lonely feeling of powerlessness, get more involved with the political changes you want to see.
“Find a way to get involved in the process — go out and vote, volunteer for a cause you believe in and contribute to causes that you find important,” says Dr. Helen Odessky is a licensed clinical psychologist and author of “Stop Anxiety From Stopping You: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Panic and Social Anxiety.”
By making a difference hands-on, even in small ways, you’ll probably feel more inspired to get back on track to the things that help defeat stress on a daily level like gratitude, positivity and self-care.
This is it. If you can canvas or call and you haven’t done it yet, it’s time.
We can all drink and eat cake on Tuesday night, whether to soothe or celebrate. This week-end is for engagement. We’ll feel better!
.