The Silver Bullet for Election Fatigue, Overwhelm, and Stress

The single easiest proven way to reclaiming your power and perspective regardless of the externalities surrounding you.

In a world that feels perpetually set on edge, gratitude can seem like a fleeting luxury, a nice-to-have but not a must, an idealist’s esoteric edge. Yet, when emotional stress, worry, and fear hit our capacity to ward off as we are force-fed a pervasive stream of media and fight off our personal experience of election fatigue, gratitude becomes our ultimate refuge.

Gratitude is the silver bullet that reconnects us with a reality deeper than the noise of the world and far beyond the limitations of our five senses. It is the tool that reconstructs our emotional house to a place of knowing we will be fine and productive regardless of the outcomes ahead including whatever happens on November 5th. It is the weapon that fights off the soul-sucking, emotional terrorist vampires trying to steal our attention toward fear, hate, and division as we defend the unifying common ground of our treasured relationships.

Yesterday, I had yet another powerful reminder of this as I woke up from a restless night of sleep. My week had been filled with an endless scroll of mini-adversities, tedious but important tasks, negative news, last-minute election vitriol, fear-mongering, and constant concern over contingency planning about things I couldn’t immediately control.

The collective anxiety was so thick I could feel it in my own body for about three days as I smiled but trudged my way through the weight of it to stay productive. My mind was cluttered, my focus strained and split into managing the immediate fires that needed to be put out with the flickering light of the medium and long-term vision I have for my business, my partners, my family, etc, and my spirit felt uncentered and anyone close to me could probably tell something was off. Despite my awareness of how to navigate this like a pro, I was starved for a signal or a foothold to push on.

My understanding and experience was all I had (and thankfully needed), to remind me that just because I couldn’t yet see it, touch it, smell it, hear it, or taste it yet, that the habit of faithfully putting one foot in front of the other, would once again bring me around the corner where I could see it.

The habit that I put myself back to sleep with was simply the outward practice of quietly whispering to myself “I am so thankful for X, I am grateful for your delivery of Y, I am so thankful I have Z, A, B, C etc, in my life; Thank you for D, E, F doing the unexpected; and lastly I am grateful for the surprise being delivered that helps me put my energy back toward the vision with the majority of my attention, and feel the peace of mind that we are all gonna make it.”

As I focused on those moments of gratitude—a phone call with an old friend, a beautiful sunset, and the kindness of a stranger—I was no longer consumed by stress. My awareness was no longer tethered to worries, deadlines, or the looming uncertainty I couldn’t quite tame. Instead, I was connected to a deeper understanding of my life and the steady undercurrent of peace and purpose that runs through it, regardless of the day's events. This shift reminded me that my experience of life isn’t limited by my five senses or by the mental exhaustion of news and worry. Instead, I felt guided by something greater, a force that always leads me toward the next step on my path—perfectly, and in its own time. The next morning when I woke up, I logged on with some residual trepidation of the night before, and held my breath for some inbox issues, and found a surprise that came from years of proper planning and diligence, but was unexpected and beyond timely. The exhale was rapid, and the additional gratitude for the relief it caused spilled through me like a lightning bolt of energy. The facts didn’t change exponentially, but the small incremental shift in the right direction was the foothold I asked for with grateful expectation. It was (and is) all I needed to finish this week strong and filled with more peace of mind that I am not crazy for operating on the edge at mach5, and that my role in the bigger picture of this thing we call reality, is not yet to be put on the sideline or be retired. I (and my family and team) am a protected player in the creator’s universal game we all play called life I must and can trust that I can make my contributions from where I am and that they will continue to add up to something meaningful.

Gratitude does this. YOU CAN TAP INTO THIS TOO!

When we draw our awareness to what we are truly thankful for, we rise above the limitations of physical, temporary anxieties and step into a timeless space that exists beyond our immediate perceptions. This space—rooted in our spirit, not our senses—provides a deeper clarity. It reminds us that we’re connected to an infinite energy that sustains us and reveals our path in ways that often make sense only when looking back. It is here that we find release from worry, freedom from fear, and the restoration of true clarity.

So as we move through these times, where election fatigue and stress may creep in daily, consider turning to gratitude. Pause each day, speak out loud (or write down) a list of things you’re grateful for, and notice the effect it has. Challenge yourself to list more than 10 things because it will draw your attention to a deeper level of the things you already have and how numerous they are. You may find that, just like I did, gratitude isn’t merely an antidote to stress—it’s the guiding light that shifts our perspective, keeps us grounded, unlocks an unexpected foothold or gift, and connects us back to the unshakable assurance that our lives are unfolding perfectly, even if we can’t always see it.

Remember, life’s true clarity isn’t in grasping more but in trusting more, and gratitude is the most powerful first step toward that trust.

Have a great weekend!