How I'm "surviving" this election week

Have you voted yet? If you didn’t yet, go out and vote! Today’s the day!

Without a doubt, the vast majority of us are pretty stressed and anxious right now. It must be telling of my state of mind that, after 11pm on Sunday, I was organizing our pantry and home…

I’ve tried to read, but because the book was more of a personal growth book, rather than an entertaining one, my mind was not into it. So I got busy just to keep my mind occupied with something other than finding it wander into anxiety. I guess the trick worked because I got sleepy fast (the time change might have had something to do with that also), and soon after I was done, hubby and I went to bed and fell asleep quickly. The next morning (on Monday), the first thing we did was to meditate for 10 minutes, which cleared my mind and put me in a good mood.

I’m making an effort to stay away from the news this week, and to remain calm about this election. I advise that you too, don’t fall for any early claims of victory, not until those are confirmed.

So yes, my advice to you about staying calm these days is to get busy, literally. Read some books that I found enthralling, organize your pantry, or whatever else needs organizing, maybe plan your winter decor, or watch something entertaining. But stay away from the news.

Personally, I will be cooking and baking this week a lot; I love cooking (mostly), and baking relaxes me. One of the recipes I’ll be making this week is this vegan Russian Red Borscht (I replace white vinegar with lemon juice, remove the sugar, and serve it with unsweetened coconut yogurt); try this one for a non-vegan recipe - I would still add some lemon juice to taste as it’s better with a hint of sour. Also on the list for cooking this week? Chili! Try this recipe for a yummy vegetarian one.

For dessert, I am thinking of making this decadent avocado mousse (it’s delicious!), and definitely baking these blueberry muffins (this is my go-to recipe and it’s sooo good!). Note: I often swap the blueberries for other fruits or berries I have (blackberries, plums, cherries, peeled and diced apples, etc.), BUT cranberries would make it the perfect recipe for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas!

And you know the best part? While doing all these things (and even while working, when it permits), I will be listening to my favorite music that guarantees to put me in a good mood and get me dancing around my home. Check out this post, this one, this, and this for some of the music I listen to for that purpose.

To begin this party, I’ll leave you with this song that hopefully makes you as happy as it makes me.