Beyond Resilience: A Guide for Election Day
Election day in the United States is something of a ritual. We watch in anticipation as precincts report vote totals and the national map fills in. Some years the candidate we want gets elected, and some years the other candidate wins. We have our moment of relief when the outcome is what we want and expect, or we have our moment of disappointment if it isn’t. Afterwards, most of us move on.
This year, however, feels a bit different. Jittery exhaustion is part of our reality as change continues on its relentless pace. And while we’ve collectively been feeling economic instability; loneliness; tech upheavals; workplace stress; political volatility; mental strain; and incivility for nearly a decade now, many of us worry that there’s no end in sight. On top of all that, we still have all of our conventional disappointments, sorrows, frustrations, inconveniences, and annoyances that - in an “ordinary” year - would be tough to handle.
We’re depleted. We’re exhausted. We’re running on fumes.
At this point, you might expect a list of tips and tricks to help get you back on track. Perhaps a list of mindfulness practices that help you bounce back. That ground’s been covered in other blogs and articles, and I am 100% supportive of anything that will get you grounded, focused, and restored. Please do things like: meditation, exercise, healthy eating, laughing, walks in nature, praying, etc. They really do help pull the mind out of a negative, reactive spiral.
But I want to talk about using this moment - election day - as an opportunity to grow.
In my book, Reinventing Resilience, I developed a model that focuses on growing through challenges (not simply surviving them). At the heart of the model is the need to balance Staunch Realism and Collective Efficacy. That is, to grow during a tough time, it’s important to see the situation for what it really is and be very clear about the things you can/cannot control. Together, these build the courage and confidence to grow through challenges.
Organizational Resilience Model - © High Peaks Group
For example, the reality is that many people in the US are out of work, we’re having an election, and about half the country will be disappointed in the outcome of the election. That’s the truth. We could get ourselves wrapped around the axle thinking about all that’s troubling with that picture. But, the average person can control just a few things: looking for work; upskilling themselves, voting, and thinking about how to react to the outcome of the election.
In our resilience workshops, participants walk through a number of exercises to help them get clear about the reality of their situation. It starts with understanding what we call “My Triggered Self.” That is, what are the inputs (or patterns of inputs) that has your brain in reactive mode and not in rational mode? We then help participants build a picture of “My Resourced Self” by identifying and cataloging things they already have on hand to support their growth through challenges. Only then do we ask participants to bring “The Situation” into clearer focus by stating reality in plain, objective terms. Finally, participants are ready to move forward on their growth path by imagining new - and realistic - possibilities for the future.
Imagine how this might work for you next week when election outcome is known:
My Blockers: The election results are finalized and you must first manage your response to the outcome. Our “See It; Slow It; Own It” strategy comes in handy here to identify and examine thoughts that might derail you.
My Resources: You then identify and use resources you already have and get poised for forward momentum. Mapping self qualities, skills/knowledge, and social supports helps.
The Situation: You look at the landscape from an objective perspective with as much passion as you would if you were looking at a map. We recommend writing a one sentence summary with few adjectives.
The Possibilities: With some routes closed off and others opened, you can now list your realistic options to move forward. The way forward is pre-filtered so you don’t end up acting on impulse or against your own better judgment.
This strategy isn’t necessarily only for election season. It’s a great approach for individuals or teams facing difficult times, as well. In fact, we piloted our digital course for 200 leaders in the mountain resort (ski) industry - an industry facing incredible challenges not only from COVID, but global warming, declining interest in skiing among young people, lack of racial diversity, high cost of participation, corporate consolidation, and many other factors. Participants reported having a solid framework for dealing with continued uncertainty and volatility this winter. Since then, we’ve spread the word nationally at conferences, workshops, companies, nonprofits, and on many podcasts. A consistent theme has been that we don’t just need resilient people, we need resilient organizations and communities! We believe the Reinventing Resilience model elevates the conversation to create positive change in a new way.
But, first things first. Vote.
Then, create your plan for how to productively respond to the outcome - regardless of who wins.
