Therapists recommend group crying, 'forest bathing' to cope with stress on Trump's inauguration day: report
As President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration approaches, some Americans are “scared” about the Republican's return to office and are feeling increasingly anxious, a new report says.
Time magazine reported Friday on 11 “science-backed” activities people can try on Monday to deal with their “sense of hopelessness” about the incoming administration.
Psychology experts and therapists recommend a variety of activities to help those emotionally overwhelmed by Trump's return shed their anxiety and gain a new perspective.
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President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Alex Huang/Getty Images)
Emiliana Simon-Thomas, a psychology expert and scientific director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, recommends exercising, engaging in creative activities, showing kindness, smiling at strangers, and going to shows. She says these activities can improve your mood and help you regain a sense of control and feel connected to others.
Exercise can “restore a sense of strength you may have been missing on Inauguration Day,” the report said. “You may not be able to do anything about the new administration's policies, but you know what you can do? Fifteen perfect jumping jacks.”
Another recommendation in the report is collective crying.
“It may seem counterintuitive,” Time magazine reported, “but if you need to shed a few tears on Inauguration Day, it’s best to let them shed them, with a caveat: You shouldn’t do them alone.”
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Therapists recommend crying with friends as a way to ease their anxieties about President-elect Trump's inauguration on Monday. (Getty Images/Stock)
“If a person has the opportunity to cry with the support of another person—someone they trust and believe cares about them—the grace and speed with which they recover from grief increases by orders of magnitude,” Simon-Thomas said.
Other mental health experts recommend volunteering, journaling, making vision boards, dancing and “forest bathing.”
“You'll be humbled,” therapist Anindita Bhaumik said in a report in Time magazine. “This mountain will always be there, and you are the one standing here. Everything comes and goes, but nature is still there.”
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Filmmaker and conservative activist Robby Starbuck mocked some of the tactics mentioned in the story in a post on X.
“'11 Ways to Avoid the Inauguration Day Spiral' Includes 'Forest Bathing' and Group Crying,” Starbucks posted.
“1. Democrats are weird. 2. Time Magazine is an absolute joke,” he added.