How to survive the political season

There’s nothing wrong with a good debate (and nothing wrong with avoiding it)

For people who take their politics seriously, this is going to be a difficult election year. The rhetoric has been ratcheted up by several decibels with the election of Doug Ford as the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, while the Liberal government gaslights us over debt and deficits and has us questioning our reason and understanding of math. Ontario voters will need to practise some serious self-care in order to survive the season with their sanity.

So, to help prepare ourselves for the upcoming months, I’ve come up with some self-care strategies to help recover from the rhetoric and assault on reason that the political season has already become. Politics presents conflicting positions; our adversarial system is harsh, a blood sport. The stress levels can get high, especially in a polarized political environment. Family gatherings can get heated, insults can fly, feelings can be hurt, something gets broken, and respect can be lost all in the span of a happy birthday party for a little kid or a planning meeting for a playground. What do to in times of trouble? The first and foremost piece of advice has to do with prevention, a good place to start. Avoid poking the bear. If you know a comment will raise ire and perhaps be received as a slight, consider if you’re willing to engage with the consequences: a hungry bear with sharp claws. If so, and some are, then be sure you have a big stick of facts and examples, or a diversion with a delicious dinner.

Know when to walk away. Ask yourself: Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? Is it possible to be happy and considered wrong? If you have a good sense of self and feel confident in your position, it is possible to walk away without engendering further response or retaliation. We don’t have to resort to a further escalation of violence, from verbal to physical; we can walk away, either physically by leaving or mentally by checking out. Walking away is the No. 1 way to exit an argument. And it doesn’t have to involve slammed doors, but remember how good that felt when you where a kid? Leave it as a memory.

During times of increased stress, exercise is a good regulator of emotions and it helps exhaust the animosity I feel building in response to the political rhetoric. The constant attack of party against party against party can infect your equilibrium. If news is your thing, it’s hard to escape; it’s everywhere, on the radio, in the papers, on the internet, at the coffee shop. It might just be the sweat, but I feel cleansed after exercise, successful in my challenge, and cleared in mind. It doesn’t have to be that vigorous, a long walk along the escarpment or down by the waterfront can help with reflection and finding perspective. It’s a big world and it’ll go on long after this election ends.

Mindfulness is a practice that people are using more and more to manage emotion and handle stress. Being mindful means paying attention to the moment, not the last one or the next one, in a non-judgmental way. We get so caught up in our body’s reaction to stress and it can take over our response to it. You can practise mindfulness through meditation. It doesn’t take much, just practice, to sit quietly and be aware of your body, bring yourself into a position of peace and then continue with more composure.

Change the station. Remember media consumption is a personal choice. You don’t like what you’re hearing, change the station; there’s more than one messenger on the dial and you can always come back to it when you’ve fortified yourself for more. Repeat radio and the internet allows plenty of opportunity for us to listen to, or watch that clip, one more time.

That’s not a suggestion to create an echo chamber. I encourage everyone to read around, to listen to the opinions of others, to educate themselves on the issues that we’re facing. It takes wide reading and listening to the experiences of others in order to form an informed opinion. Too many people let their party do the thinking for them and aren’t aware of the platforms of the people they’re voting for or the results of policies on people.

And above all, maintain a sense of humour. People get to believe what they want, even if you don’t agree. Distance yourself from the gong show and remember that love conquers all.