成人快播

Originally published by .
By Sadie Dingfelder

鈥淗ow鈥檚 everyone doing tonight?鈥� comedian Chris Blackwood asked the crowd at a recent benefit show at the Bier Baron. 鈥淣ot great!鈥� shouted a man from the back of the sold-out room. 鈥淢e either,鈥� Blackwood replied, adding, 鈥淗ey, Trump鈥檚 not all bad. Now it鈥檚 OK to cry openly in public.鈥� The crowd laughed with recognition. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so true,鈥� the guy in the audience said.

People are stressed out, and it鈥檚 not just liberals: 59 percent of Republicans say that the future of the nation is a significant source of stress in their lives, according to a January survey by the American Psychological Association. Combine that with the 76 percent of Democrats stressed about the country鈥檚 path and you have a very angsty nation, says Vaile Wright, a D.C. psychologist who worked on the survey. Post-election stress is especially pervasive in the nation鈥檚 capital, she adds.

鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e not directly involved in the political arena, when you live in D.C., it鈥檚 hard to get away from it,鈥� Wright says.

This stress is partly what motivated Blackwood and fellow comedian Matt Dundas to launch a series of comedy shows and fundraisers. Shortly after the Nov. 8 election, the two managed their despair by founding , a group that now produces monthly comedy fundraisers for lefty causes, including Planned Parenthood and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

鈥淲e wanted to be a part of the resistance to Trump鈥檚 policies and we also wanted to give people some comic relief,鈥� Dundas says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really helped my post-election depression. Hopefully, it鈥檚 been good for other people, too.鈥�

Going to a combines two proven stress busters: having fun with like-minded people and contributing to a cause you care about, Wright says.

鈥淲e know that social support is a huge buffer for stress, and I think you also need to take active steps to feel more in control,鈥� Wright says. 鈥淔or some, that may be going to protests and huddles and contributing money to candidates. For others, that may be volunteering at different causes, like teaching English to immigrants or working in a soup kitchen.鈥�

In fact, several D.C.-area nonprofits are seeing a surge of new volunteers, including the , which helps immigrants learn English; 成人快播, which pairs literacy tutors with underprivileged children; and , which brings free groceries to low-income seniors, among other activities.

鈥淲e have absolutely seen quite a few more volunteers, many of whom specifically refer to wanting to turn the political darkness into some sort of light by helping other people in a direct way,鈥� says We Are Family co-director Mark Andersen.

While working on causes you care about can alleviate political stress, it鈥檚 also important to give your mind a break, Wright says. If that advice is traditionally ignored by workaholic residents of the capital, it seems we鈥檙e paying attention now: D.C.-area yoga and meditation classes are bursting at the seams, studio owners report.

鈥淚鈥檓 seeing a lot of demand for classes where you break a sweat and get your mind focused on the movement and the breath and off of politics,鈥� says Lisa Sierra-Davidson, a teacher at in Northeast. At near Dupont Circle, students are taking advantage of quick, 30-minute meditation classes during lunch breaks. 鈥淎 lot of people come in needing to pull themselves away from the 24-hour news cycle,鈥� says studio co-founder Eldad Moraru.

There are also more aggressive ways to deal with your stress.

鈥淩ecently, a lot of people have been coming in to deal with their stress over whatever鈥檚 in the news, and that includes some Trump supporters, too,鈥� says Donte Brown, who owns in Derwood, Md.

Dave White, the owner of , agrees.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a definite correlation between Trump getting elected and people being stressed and coming to the gym,鈥� he says, adding that newer clients include three female reporters and a lot of government workers 鈥渨ho have been training very, very regularly.鈥�

However you manage your political stress, what matters most is that you do something, Wright says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to prioritize self-care,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 hear a feeling of, 鈥楤ut if I go to brunch, if I go to that massage or if I go to that yoga class, I鈥檓 not doing enough as a citizen to influence things.鈥� That鈥檚 a poor trap to get into. You have to take care of yourself in order to be an effective problem solver.鈥�