missypie

I really need to turn off the TV, radio and computer. I am stressed about this election (plus the economy, plus it doesn't help to have Halloween and two daughters' birthdays in the next 10 days). Is anyone here on the CC "Election and Politics" board feeling calm and serene? If so, what is your secret (and no fair listing medications to which I don't have a prescription.)

postone

Sorry no help here except maybe daily yoga - I have reached that don't want to look stage also...
I purposely didn't listen to primary debates and so on since I just can't deal with the rising stress level and this has been the longest capaign I remember

missypie

I normally have time to go work out on Tuesday night....I can see myself on the treadmill next Tuesday night, sweating away with my eyes glued on CNN while the returns come in. (They also have TVs turned to Fox, but it's not healthy for me to be in front of them.)

sueinphilly

I was just on a 10 day cruise where the only news channel was Fox. I felt like I was being punished.

I'm telling my boss that unless election results are in and Obama has won, I am calling in sick next Wednesday. I will not be able to function if McCain wins or no decision has been made.

3bm103

I'm feeling pretty calm because I have great faith in the intelligence of this country.

kathiep

The only thing that has helped me has been sports. This has been a very good week. West Virginia University won last week (husband's alma mater), PSU won last Saturday against OSU (PA, our adopted state), The Eagles won on Sunday against the Falcons and the Phillies won the world series. The rain has stopped, the sun is shining and I have a good feeling about Tuesday!

missypie

I'm not a sports fan at all, but a couple of weeks ago, when our HS football team played its big rival (which is ranked #1 in the country) and lost by only one touchdown, I realized after the game that I had not thought a bit about the election or the economy the whole time. Here's praying that tomorrow night's game is exciting, too!

cartera45

I am really going to miss working at the local campaign headquarters after the election - I enjoy being there and coordinating volunteers. I am going to have to find a replacement for that. That also helps calm me - keeps me away from the news. Right now, I'll be working at the polls all day Tuesday - supplying people with coffee and treats in order to keep them in line - and then there is an election night party at a neighbor's house. I may suffer from PED - post election depression no matter who wins.

I still don't have a Halloween costume yet - I may have to go as Ashley Todd after all.

Susantm

Calm? What's that? The only thing that helps keep me calm is that I have so much work right now that I don't have time to always be reading political stuff--although I do spend too much time on this board, I have to admit... Also I pray a lot.

starbright

I'm calm as I feel confident my guy will win. But I do get frustrated sometimes with some of the nonsense I read-- I have to learn to turn it off when its not educational, or fun and is just annoying.

Oh and exercise!

cartera45

This photo makes me feel better - knowing that Sarah and Obama have career options.


http://funmeme.com/archive/2008/10/1...the-stars.aspx

momof2inca

I feel the way I did the last week of each of my two pregnancies. Exhausted yet unable to sleep. Mind going a mile a minute. One minute projecting the best possible outcome, the next projecting a swift, severe disappointment caused by things way, way outside of my control. I'm at times snippy, other times gloomy, and still other times punchy with anticipation and hope. I find myself at the edge of tears a lot, too. And the next week seems to stretch out like its own separate universe... the way it did when I was seven years old and it was six days before Christmas. How will I survive until then?

Drosselmeier

Calm as a cucumber. No secret. I am a follower of Christ, and I am ready to die. If the whole world should turn upside down in the next hour, and those I love are tortured and slaughtered along with me, I know that everything will be put to rights in such a way that I will be glad that my life was exactly as it turned out to be.

If you have other beliefs, perhaps you might consider that you have a role in everything, and that rather than worry too much about how it will all turn out, you should worry about whether you are playing your role to its maximum extent. I actually believe this too. Which is why I think it is ultimately healthy to have people pushing against me as much as I push against them. My only issue here is that I want those who push against me to push using fairness and reason, the goal being to arrive at an objective truth.

So, just go for it, and let the chips fall -- unless your role is to worry, in which case--- whew - that would just be some seriously difficult mess there.

simba

Calm as a cucumber too. I dislike both of them so it makes no difference.

Vderon

Not that calm. I'm strongly against Mr. Obamas tax plan, so I will be depressed next Wednesday for sure.

But if Mr. McCain pulls off a miracle, and wins, I am afraid there will be rioting in the streets and people will get hurt.

This is the article that got me thinking about that. It's from the Wall Street Journal. You may not like it if you are an Obama fan.

Obama and the Politics of Crowds - WSJ.com

If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, here is an excerpt:

"These crowds, in the tens of thousands, who have been turning out for the Democratic standard-bearer in St. Louis and Denver and Portland, are a measure of American distress.

On the face of it, there is nothing overwhelmingly stirring about Sen. Obama. There is a cerebral quality to him, and an air of detachment. He has eloquence, but within bounds. After nearly two years on the trail, the audience can pretty much anticipate and recite his lines. The political genius of the man is that he is a blank slate. The devotees can project onto him what they wish. The coalition that has propelled his quest -- African-Americans and affluent white liberals -- has no economic coherence. But for the moment, there is the illusion of a common undertaking -- Canetti's feeling of equality within the crowd. The day after, the crowd will of course discover its own fissures. The affluent will have to pay for the programs promised the poor. The redistribution agenda that runs through Mr. Obama's vision is anathema to the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and the hedge-fund managers now smitten with him."

The article ends with:

"The morning after the election, the disappointment will begin to settle upon the Obama crowd. Defeat -- by now unthinkable to the devotees -- will bring heartbreak. Victory will steadily deliver the sobering verdict that our troubles won't be solved by a leader's magic."