Today is a hard mental day. For a lot of people, it's just another day, but for PR and USA, it's a hard day. No matter who you're voting for, election day can be very draining on someone's mental state, especially if you see your rights and/or life on the line.
I'm not here to preach about one side or the other; it's too late for that, people will vote for who they want. I'm just going to say all that is left to say: be safe. This election will be unlike any other.
I wish I had some words of advice to help you guys manage this day, I could give you tips and tricks, but that would only make me a hypocrite, because I myself will be anxious all day.
For those in the US who don't know (or anyone outside who also didn't know), PR gets a new governor AND a new president today (or the same president, if he wins). However, we only get to vote for the governor; the president is put upon us with no choice in the matter. The American people choose our rights for the next 4 years. And while I could go on and on about injustices and how we pay taxes too, etc, that's not the topic of this writing.
The point is we're anxious, just like the American people, but we're twice as anxious for our election as well. It's not an easy day in Puerto Rico. And judging by the panels of wood covering the shops in the different US states, a civil war is afoot, no matter the results.
It's a little disheartening to see what politics has done to both countries. How much hatred has been harvested and spewed, especially in this year. And, while it's obvious I lean towards a particular side, there really are lives that will be genuinely affected by today's results, no matter what the results are.
So today, after voting, just go home. Remember to social distance at the polls, wear your mask and take hand sanitizer, take your own Sharpie pen (in PRs case) and take some snacks and hydration. Then, go home and do whatever you can to unwind. If you're anything like me, you will hyper-fixate on the election all day until the results come out. But remember, we won't know the results for a while. So just go to your happy place, read, listen to music, paint. Try to not think about it until it's time.
Otherwise this hard day will consume you and you can't let that happen.
Be safe and vote! We can survive today, we'll handle tomorrow when it comes.
Thanks for reading.