As the country wakes up Donald Trump, predicted winner presidential election, there is one thing we can all agree on: the road to the White House was long and hard-fought.

Americans are weary, perhaps emotionally bruised and battered, and probably concerned about what the next few weeks will bring to a bitterly divided nation.

Just like in 2020, it’s a good time to take a break and analyze your physical and emotional stress.

“How we perceive our stress is really important to our health,” said Dr. Cynthia Ackrill, a stress management expert and former editor of Contentment magazine, produced by the American Institute of Stress.

“When the brain senses a source of danger, even if it’s just a simple worry, it increases your stress level to keep you safe,” Ackrill said in an email.

“Thank your brain for doing its job, but assure it that you have it from there,” she added. “It can help you notice automatic reactions, stop automatic thought loops, and sort fact from fiction.”

Take a break or break and take care of yourself, your friends and your neighbors. Here are key, science-backed ways to give yourself a break.

Breathe, move and have a plan

You can use your body to calm your mind, experts say. Slow, deep abdominal breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system to counteract signs of stress such as an elevated heart rate and adrenaline rush.

“You don’t even need to stop what you’re doing. Just take a few deep, slow breaths and really feel the sensations in your body,” said Cortland Dahl, author of “The Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism” and director contemplative of Healthy Minds Innovations, a nonprofit organization that provides free wellness services. “A few mindful breaths can reset your nervous system and bring much-needed calm to the mind.”

Taking a walk can accomplish the same thing: Walking in nature with an uplifting friend will add a stress-reducing bonus, Ackrill said.

“Plan to do something today with friends, and as a bonus if it’s outside, choose something that nourishes your mind, your body, your spirit, regardless of the outcome of the election,” a- she declared.

Other recommended tips for reducing stress include practicing gratitude and eliminating stressful news and social feeds. Do a circle of control exercise in which you list what is in your control, what you can influence, and what is not in your control — and don’t worry about what you can’t affect, said Ackrill.

“Everyone needs regular practices for noticing when stress sets in and a (tool belt) of ways to deal with it. This includes habits of mindfulness, healthy ways to frame challenges of life, tools to mitigate mental and physical effects, and ways to stay focused on thriving,” she said.

“Unfortunately, most of us have not learned this, so consider this election stress a challenge to face the next election with healthy stress regulation practices.”

Don’t stuff your emotions

Emotions are like data, Ackrill said in a previous interview, necessary to tell you that you have needs that still need to be met.

“Denying or suppressing your feelings doesn’t work,” she said. “Make room to process some real feelings: grief, disappointment, frustration, anger, or guilt.

“Allow yourself to experience a whole range of emotions that make you human,” Ackrill added. “Don’t ‘should’ blame yourself. You shouldn’t feel any particular way and rewrite history, because somehow your fault doesn’t help. All that you feel is real to you.”

According to experts, one way to process your feelings is to write them down until the emotion is captured on paper. You will know when this happens if you feel the emotional charge diminishing.

You can also reach out to a friend or loved one “whom you trust to keep you safe,” Ackrill suggested. But choose carefully. Before sharing fully, she says, ask yourself: “Is this person really helping you deal with the emotional burden?”

Be sure to seek help from a therapist if you feel like you can’t “detach from your feelings” or if the discomfort becomes difficult to bear, she said. “Contrary to what our culture may have taught you, helping is not a bad four-letter word.”

We are all people

Finding common ground with others is essential to our mental health during times of stress, Ackrill said.

“Because election hype has been divisive, it can strain our relationships, particularly with those who do not share our views,” she said. “Very often we share more worries, fears, and values ​​than we differ. Finding common ground can build that critical antidote to stress: connection.”

Psychologist Tania Israel, professor of counseling psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, agrees.

“The media and our minds are conspired to wrongly view people who disagree with us as extreme, illogical and hateful. In reality, we have much more in common than we think,” said Israel in an email.

“Americans share fundamental values, such as service, patriotism, and bipartisanship. We agree on accountability and representation in government, as well as the protection of constitutional liberties and fair enforcement of the laws.” , said Israel, author of the book “Facing the Fracture: How to.” Face the challenges of life in a divided nation.

“Furthermore, we all want free and fair elections, support equal rights, and do not want government officials to abuse their power.”

Israel has singled out organizations dedicated to bringing together opposing sides of the political divide in what is known as the “bridging movement.”

“The priority is to walk away from that interaction caring more about that other person than whether or not you won that argument – ​​be human first,” Caroline Hopper, chief executive of Citizenship. & American Identity Program at the Aspen Institute, told CNN in a previous interview.

The Aspen Institute sponsors the Better Arguments Project, which strives to create more productive arguments. These conversations don’t have to divide people, the group says. In fact, by learning to argue “better,” we can come together, he says.

“We simply don’t get the information we need to make informed decisions if we only engage with people who agree with us,” Hopper said. “By sharing different ideas and perspectives, we often emerge with deeper knowledge and stronger solutions to problems that affect us all.”

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