Kerby Anderson

Next week is Thanksgiving week. But many Americans are dreading the annual ritual of gathering families together because of the 2024 election. You might hope that the shock, grief, and anger would subside after this election, but this post-election distress continues.

CBS did a story on “Post-election Emotions.” It offered expert tips and resources to manage a person’s mental health after the 2024 elections. Liberal women say it is “time to learn from the Koreans and adopt the 4B movement” in this country (by shaving their heads and denouncing men).

An article in Psychiatric Times, reflected on a similar experience after Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election. Her followers talked about their feeling of betrayal and felt they were living in an alternate reality.

Journalist Mark Halperin predicted that the reaction to the Trump victory might be the cause of the biggest mental health crisis in the history of this country. In an interview he did with Tucker Carlson, he explained that “tens of millions of people will question their connection to the nation and their connection to other human beings.”

The election has rattled their vision of the future. He added, “I don’t think it will be kind of a passing thing that by the inauguration will be fine. I think it will be sustained and unprecedented.” He even thinks that we will see violence. “I think there'll be workplace fights. There'll be fights at kids’ birthday parties. I think there'll be protests that will turn violent.”

We can hope that his fearful prophecy does not come to pass, but we should be prepared for the social turmoil ahead. As I have been traveling around the country, many people say they are concerned about the possibility of conflict because of the polarized nature of our society. Thanksgiving week might provide a glimpse into the future.