Three pieces of advice as we roll into this post-election Thanksgiving:
1) if you are being bullied by a family member about election results, say to them very calmly, If the situation was reversed, I would never treat you this way because I love and care about you.
2) for family members that you want to stay connected to, try to frame their election choice as they are Bad At Politics, like they might be Bad At Cooking. Perhaps they have shown up with a lasagne made of cat food. You don't have to eat it. You might pity their life at home. You might wonder how they missed out on this essential life skill. But, that is their journey and you do not need to eat the results. The point of doing that is to allow you to focus on the parts of them that are good. And, quite frankly, staying connected to each other's humanity is the only way out of this.
3) Remember you can always excuse yourself in any situation to go to the bathroom and run cold water over your wrists to cool down, or go outside for a walk and connection to nature to reset.
And oh yes, I get it, my amygdala brain is also screaming and yelling at the terribleness of all this. I will be taking action --action being the antidote for despair-- in the months and years ahead. I propose these not as fixes but as a way to preserve your sanity and peace in order to get through family events.
May we all be safe
May we all be well
May we all be happy
May we all be peaceful