I’m hoping for an end to the Trump car wreck, so America can move forward

I never thought I would have to protect my mental health from the president of the United States, but here we are.

Like half the country four years ago, I was shocked Trump won but was willing to give him a try. That hope quickly faded when his first action as president was implementing a Muslim ban. I have had to compartmentalize my thoughts on issues over the past four years, such as Trump’s policy to separate immigrant children from their parents and put them in cages, because I felt so helpless and powerless to do anything. His latest accusation that doctors and nurses are inflating

COVID-19 deaths for profit makes me recoil.

I found myself holding my breath and grinding my teeth, to where I have broken a couple of teeth from the stress. I have tried mindful meditation, deep breathing exercises, reading fiction and limiting my news intake, but that has not worked. Experts suggested volunteering would help, so I volunteered as a research assistant for a Democratic candidate during the primaries and continue to volunteer with various Senate campaigns throughout the country by text banking.

As I finished my final text-banking assignment before the Nov. 3 election, fielding the common verbal abuse and death threats from Trump supporters, I pray that this slow-moving, four-year car wreck of an administration will be finally over and America can heal and move forward.

Nancy McHugh, Plainfield