When it seems like there’s only so much stress a person can take, the 2020 presidential election has proved the sky is the limit. Americans have spent the past couple of days glued to their screens and live election trackers in hopes of ending their sleepless nights and curbing their impending sense of doom.
The wait for the voting results has bent time and space. Hours seem longer than ever, days go in slow-mo, and ballot counting feels like an IV drip, painfully long and needlessly exhausting.
But the internet is a magical place, and whatever happens in the world around us, both the good and the bad find shelter here. That’s why people are taking to social media to share their election reactions, which is becoming a kind of meme in itself. From people saying they’re pulling up to Nevada to count the ballots, to checking the map every 5 minutes to see if the votes have changed, this has been an ultramarathon in anxiety and people are still rolling.
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It is definitely upsetting and even scary to see the amount of support he has in our country.
To find out more about what it’s like for Americans to wait on the election results, Bored Panda reached out to Twitter user @strawbearysal, who tweeted one of the funny election reactions with the caption “This is everyone checking the map every 5 minutes to see if the votes in Nevada changed.”
@strawbearysal told us that waiting was absolutely nerve-wracking. “I’m a college student and I found myself not being able to focus on schoolwork because of how anxious I was waiting for the results.”
The Twitter user also told us that there have been 100 emotions that they've gone through during this time. In fact, @strawbearysal has been on the edge of their seat since November because “Anything could happen during the vote-counting period.”
Luckily, “The memes help a lot in keeping calm.”
On the other hand, @strawbearysal believes that this is going to be a historic election. “The voter turnout and states that are usually red turning out to be blue this year. People are ready for a change.”
At this boiling point of the vote counting, @strawbearysal suggests staying positive. “It doesn’t matter what’s happening right now—all votes will be counted and we will receive fair election results soon,” the Twitter user concluded and we can’t agree more!
When it seems like there weren’t enough things to worry about these days, the US presidential election has surely added fuel to the fire. A recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association and Harris Poll found that 68% of American adults say that the current election has caused significant stress in their lives. In comparison, ahead of the 2016 election, only 52% of Americans said the same thing.
Interestingly, the findings also indicated that the increased stress levels were present and consistent across the political parties: 76% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans, and 64% of Independents reported election-related stress.
The American Psychological Association suggests a couple of tactics for easing that tremendous sense of election anxiety. Avoid dwelling on worst-case scenarios, because fear breeds negative emotions. Make sure you have a voting plan and an election day plan ready, so that you have some emotional support from friends and family to help you through the nerve-wracking wait.
And lastly, try to control your use of social media, because focusing on things that you can control may be soul-soothing. “If following the news, watching the debates, or scrolling through social media is causing you stress, limit your media consumption,” writes APA.
Exactly: 4.6 million MORE of your neighbors voted for tRump this year than did in 2016 - message to: POC, LGBTQ, women, Jews, Muslims, native populations, latinos, immigrants? Approximately 66 million Americans voted against your right to exist freely and equally in this country - THAT is what Biden/Harris and the rest of us are really facing.
In the end, try staying active because “Moving helps us release the energy we experience when we feel stressed.” So at this point, there’s no better thing to do than taking your corgi out for a walk. I mean, when was the last time you turned your head to see the sky?
A true American hero, the late great Senator John McCain, is surely smiling while his home State of Arizona just gave the proverbial "thumbs down" to President Trump.
Remember when Trump said John McCain was "not a war hero" and that Trump "like(s) people who weren't captured..." ?
Maybe Cindy McCain's endorsement of Biden turned this whole election.
It is incredibly poetic that John McCain's home State is the one that turns this election for Biden.
EXACTLY! This is the best tweet thus far... I'm going out to twitter to find this and re-tweet!
Seriously... I also love how all those "Christians" lined right up behind this damaged human being whose existence violates every principle and belief Jesus had and preached. SMFH
That is what makes me realise that this isn't a victory or an end to the division. Either way it's four (and more) more years.''
I disagree. The result of this election will affect the rest of the world too.
I see the results turning out badly whichever way it turns out. I predict that The riots and violence happening right now will be nothing compared to whats to come. It won’t help that Trump will fuel the fire ESPECIALLY if he loses. I am scared for America.
Dear World: We in the US understand the concept of multi-party elections. We simply have two parties that dominate b/c they have the $$$$. Donate to the other parties if you want to see it change. Love, An American
As a non-american, I am just looking with shock to what is happening. Apparently, about 70 million people voted for a president who – ignoring anything that has been before – has been spreading nothing but lies ever since the votes closed, much of which shatters the trust in the institutions of democracy itself. And his followers do not seem to mind that he has no evidence, or even worse, he does not even have real accusations. He simply states facts about irregularities as to his own pleasure. This is disgusting, shameful, and very dangerous. I am not entitled to judge the American people, but I feel entitled to wish them brighter days.
I agree, it's so alarming to see an entire party and its followers do everything they can to undermine the very democracy that they claim to be so proud of. The lengths that they are trying to go to to win at any cost. The Trump administration has exposed just how weak American democracy is. At this point, I'm very worried about the future of the country, as Trump has proved that you can lie, cheat, play the system and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it.
Load More Replies...I think issues like abortion play a much bigger role in these decisions than people are willing to acknowledge. If pro-life is the hill you're willing to die on and Republicans are representing you in that, you're gonna vote for Trump even if you disagree with his everything. If your whole family and town's income hinges on mining fossil fuels, you're gonna vote for the people who promise not to eliminate it. There's too many issues to be represented by just two parties, and small upstarts like the Green party won't be able to make headway against the political juggernauts we have now. We need to deliberately split the parties down so people can more fully vote in keeping with their beliefs instead of having to choose one make-or-break issue to hinge all political decisions on.
Those "pro-life", one issue trump supporters conveniently ignore the fact they've had the presidency, the Senate and House (for two years), plus a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court and nothing was done about abortion. Republican politicians love the abortion issue - no other issue gives them so many unearned votes - why get rid of it?
Load More Replies...Writing from and for a US audience: There was a great heaviness I felt while viewing the “Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere” exhibition. I suppose it’s a combination of different fears and trepidations sprinkled with disappointments. Our (US) founding fathers fought for freedom from tyranny, for “no taxation without representation.” That’s the simplest and romantic sentence I could possibly write in the moment. There’s always money and self-interests involved. To hold the title of citizenship and the power to cast your vote were supposed to mean something. We’ve been told every vote matters. That it’s our duty as adult citizens of our country. To deny counting of the votes, when the ballot is already completed, mailed by the election date is to go back on the basic ideals we hold dear. Whether you’re blue, red, rainbow, whatever ... this can’t be condoned. If anyone wants to chime in about citizenship in the ancient world and voting privileges. Let me get on bended knee and swoon.
I think my BIL summed it up best. People who voted for Trump be like - tAxEs, GoVerNmeNt, tHE bLaCks. (And we were talking about our own parents.)
Load More Replies...As a non-american, I am just looking with shock to what is happening. Apparently, about 70 million people voted for a president who – ignoring anything that has been before – has been spreading nothing but lies ever since the votes closed, much of which shatters the trust in the institutions of democracy itself. And his followers do not seem to mind that he has no evidence, or even worse, he does not even have real accusations. He simply states facts about irregularities as to his own pleasure. This is disgusting, shameful, and very dangerous. I am not entitled to judge the American people, but I feel entitled to wish them brighter days.
I agree, it's so alarming to see an entire party and its followers do everything they can to undermine the very democracy that they claim to be so proud of. The lengths that they are trying to go to to win at any cost. The Trump administration has exposed just how weak American democracy is. At this point, I'm very worried about the future of the country, as Trump has proved that you can lie, cheat, play the system and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it.
Load More Replies...I think issues like abortion play a much bigger role in these decisions than people are willing to acknowledge. If pro-life is the hill you're willing to die on and Republicans are representing you in that, you're gonna vote for Trump even if you disagree with his everything. If your whole family and town's income hinges on mining fossil fuels, you're gonna vote for the people who promise not to eliminate it. There's too many issues to be represented by just two parties, and small upstarts like the Green party won't be able to make headway against the political juggernauts we have now. We need to deliberately split the parties down so people can more fully vote in keeping with their beliefs instead of having to choose one make-or-break issue to hinge all political decisions on.
Those "pro-life", one issue trump supporters conveniently ignore the fact they've had the presidency, the Senate and House (for two years), plus a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court and nothing was done about abortion. Republican politicians love the abortion issue - no other issue gives them so many unearned votes - why get rid of it?
Load More Replies...Writing from and for a US audience: There was a great heaviness I felt while viewing the “Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere” exhibition. I suppose it’s a combination of different fears and trepidations sprinkled with disappointments. Our (US) founding fathers fought for freedom from tyranny, for “no taxation without representation.” That’s the simplest and romantic sentence I could possibly write in the moment. There’s always money and self-interests involved. To hold the title of citizenship and the power to cast your vote were supposed to mean something. We’ve been told every vote matters. That it’s our duty as adult citizens of our country. To deny counting of the votes, when the ballot is already completed, mailed by the election date is to go back on the basic ideals we hold dear. Whether you’re blue, red, rainbow, whatever ... this can’t be condoned. If anyone wants to chime in about citizenship in the ancient world and voting privileges. Let me get on bended knee and swoon.
I think my BIL summed it up best. People who voted for Trump be like - tAxEs, GoVerNmeNt, tHE bLaCks. (And we were talking about our own parents.)
Load More Replies...