Navigating the Emotional Aftermath: How to Move Forward After A Stressful Election or Life Event

💫 Albania’s Newsletter | Holistika Embodiment

For all things mind, body, soul, and spirituality

Last week, stress hit an all-time high for many in the U.S. as we navigated a historic election.

The aftermath has left many feeling fearful and despairing. I've heard it from friends, family, strangers, and clients—each person sharing a spectrum of emotions and experiences.

I’m not here to discuss the election results, but to talk about what comes next. Whether you're feeling positive, neutral, or anxious, this message is for you.

You likely have your own go-to coping strategies, but what if, after such a major event, those aren’t enough? What if you still feel unsettled?

I want to share a lesson I learned from a personal story. 

On Election Day, I had planned to meet with clients to offer support. 

But I canceled. 

A family crisis required my attention, and while my regulation skills helped, I reached out to a close friend for more support.

The conversation helped me co-regulate an old fear coming up, and it reminded me of a lesson I’d learned during another tough time—caring for a loved one at the end of their life.

And it was this:

I can't change what's happening in front of me. I can feel the  emotion, and I can also tap into my own strength. I can allow myself to see and appreciate what I have now– both can exist at the same time. 

This awareness helps me move forward and empowers me to help others do the same.

This is not bypassing. It’s a new way of being. It helps to support the unsettledness.

It’s possible to experience an awful situation and still find what empowers you to move forward. We all have this ability, but often it gets overshadowed by fear.

A common response in difficult times is to feed fear—focusing on the negative, ruminating, or seeking validation from the media. 

While your feelings are valid during this time of hurt, the solution isn’t to stay stuck in fear.

The solution is to acknowledge your feelings and start moving through them. Anchor on your strength and take aligned action. This often requires regulation, and sometimes, co-regulation, like I did when I called my friend.

It's not easy, but possible.

On Election Day, I faced many choices, but I chose resilience, leaning on my family and friends to help me move forward. I knew there was a lesson in the experience, and that’s the foundation of the work I do with clients—helping them tap into their resilience and regulation skills to move through tough times.

So I ask you: 

Where are you still stuck, validating your fear? 

What’s holding you back from moving forward? 

And what do you already have within you to embrace the present moment, cultivate gratitude, and use that energy to move forward and help others?

Would love to hear your thoughts - just hit reply.

Remember: we are all in this together, and each time, we get better at being human. 

Hope you enjoyed this.

✌️ 🫶 ,

Albania

P.S. I am looking for 5 busy professionals who want to feel more peace and ease and regain balance in their life in the next 30 days. If that’s you, reply HEAL to this email.