Political Anxiety and the Pursuit of Hope

I don't consider myself to be an anxious person. I'm pretty good at staying optimistic and recognizing that most stressors are minor in the overall scheme of things.

But last week, a knot of stress curled up in my stomach one afternoon and made itself at home. There was no discernible reason for its appearance at that particular moment, and it took me a while to figure out what was causing it. I eventually determined that it was general anxiety over a certain political candidate whose name I am not even going to pervert this blog by mentioning. I am sure you know who I mean.

I was incredibly burdened by the fact that one person's originally laughable decision to run for president has turned into what sometimes seems to be an unstoppable force. I was enraged that while the intelligent American public -- liberal and conservative alike -- condemns the rhetoric of hate that spews form this person, he continues to garner support from what I can only call the underbelly of the American population: places where there exists a disproportionate number of people who believe in utterly horrifying ideals like white supremacy and politically inflicted religious violence. This situation disturbs me greatly on a daily basis. For whatever reason, it turned into a visceral bodily symptom on this particular day.

I tried my usual pick-me-ups: I ate some dark chocolate. I listened to my favorite podcast. I drank some peppermint tea. I took deep breaths. Nothing worked to dispel the knot in my gut.

Eventually, a few hours later, it did go away. But the fear of what caused it remains.

Today, on the day when thousands of people (including, for the first time, myself) will vote in primaries and caucuses, I'm encouraged by three things.

Firstly, the fact that so many people ARE voting. I've sensed a lot of interest in this year's primary elections, and I'm eager to see how the voter turnout numbers compare to prior years. Let's hope that desperation has spurred lots of new voters to show up and speak out.

Secondly, these verses.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
-Psalm 27:13-14

And finally, the existence of beauty in the world.

May you find hope in one or all of these things today.