Self-care tips for a stressful AF Election Day | Public Service Announcement

We humbly submit our suggestions for surviving the most stressful first Tuesday following the first Monday in November any of us can remember.

1. Put together a playlist of your favorite music.
2. Stock up on some weed. Smoke it as needed.
3. Don’t stay glued to your screens.
4. Give yourself breaks.
5. Meditate.
6. Get your election night news from a reputable news outlet.
7. Organize or clean: Tackle that cleaning project you’ve been putting off — pull your miniblinds down and clean each panel individually while listening to a narrative fiction podcast like “Steal the Stars.” Break for wine or snacks at your own discretion.
8. Video chat with your squad.
9. Make a plan for the week, including listening to some of the smartest people in the room—Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor—discuss Where Do We Go From Here? with Haymarket Books on Friday.
10. Dig into your spiritual practice . . . read the tarot, sage your home, etc.
11. Spend time with your pet(s).
12. Cook something delicious (then eat it!).
13. Take a walk or bike ride, preferably in a park or other nature-y place.
14. Try aromatherapy oils: lavender and jasmine, among other scents, have been associated with reduced stress and anxiety
15. Call a friend who makes you laugh.
16. Trade your coffee for herbal tea.
17. Vote early and then spend Election Day driving people in need to their polls and back; or donate ride-sharing/taxi rides. Contact your favorite senior center to start.
18. Go to the corner of LaSalle and Grand and make goo-goo faces at the animals in the window at the Anti-Cruelty Society.
19. Spend the day walking through Lincoln Park and eat a churro.
20. Scroll Pete Souza’s Instagram account for a dose of Obama-nostalgia dopamine.
21. Take Wednesday off as a Mental Health Day—for either the hangover or the crying.
22. Schedule something with other people on Wednesday—a walk or a Zoom call—so you aren’t alone in your head.
23. Call your therapist and schedule a session this week.
24. Line up shows you like to watch—the Great British Baking Show, anyone?—to give your brain a break.
25. Treat yourself to the total escape of Haymarket Opera Company’s Acis and Galatea.
26. Support a local Chicago business.
27. Take a nap.
28. Follow Karen K. Ho, aka Doomscrolling Reminder Lady, on Twitter for regular reminders to stop doomscrolling.
29. Donate to causes you care about.
30. Make a list of things you’re grateful for, including the right to vote.

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