What a week. A political upheaval that almost no one saw coming. A backlash with angry protests that still continue. The victors happy that the country can finally start to turn around, and the others horrified at what their country has done (and where it may be headed).

I tried to avoid getting into any heated discussions about the election, but the effects were hard to avoid. Strangers snapped at each other beside me on the subway. A Facebook group that was created for pure fun (and which I really enjoyed) devolved into political vitriol and had to be shut down. Even the New York weather has given us the cold shoulder.

Here’s my suggestion: We all need to take a break.

This has been a long and hard political season. My sense is that we have become more polarized, if that is even possible. Many of us are burnt out. We don’t need more news, more commentary, more predictions. We need a break.

Turn off your news-connected devices and social media. Let your friends know that you want to talk about potpourri, not politics. Start working out. Turn your attention back to your hobbies (and if you don’t have any, find one. They’re wonderful).

Put some joy back into your life. And there is joy available. The world is full of so much joy. We don’t need this negative energy anymore.

And if you can find some joy, spread it. Be kind to others. Smile. Give a homeless person a dollar. Just because. Leave the matters of gods and kings to G-d. We humans have enough to worry about without worrying about things we can’t control.

I said to someone the day after the election: The chance of a President changing your daily life is low. The chance of a hug or a kind word changing your daily life is high.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

-Serenity Prayer (Reinhold Niebuhr)

Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW CASAC-G maintains a private practice in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington Heights, NYC, with specialties in addictions and anxiety. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Contact: (530) 334-6882 or shimmyfeintuch@gmail.com. 

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