Happy Election Day!
That’s right, the moment we have all been waiting for the past four years is finally here. Either Donald Trump will get four more years in the Oval Office, or, more likely (and more hopefully), Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the United States.
Here in the Czech Republic, we have bigger fish to fry than the US election, but judging by the thoughts and reactions of my students, it’s a fairly big deal over here. The expat community is highly engaged, and most of them are going for Biden.
And guess what? I’m with them.
This blog is not in any way meant to be political, and the last thing I want to do is start a vicious debate, but it’s important to make our voices heard. Democracy is a gift. Please vote today. Even from abroad, I was able to vote. If I can do it (and if 102-year-old Beatrice Lumpkin can), so can you. With mail-in voting being easier than ever and early voting encouraged in most states, there are absolutely no excuses.
In the eyes of the law, I’m registered as a Republican, but I’m not strongly associated with the party. Honestly, when I return to the US, I may switch and become an independent. In recent years, I’ve become quite disillusioned with the GOP, mainly because Mitch McConnell is an idiot. Kentucky, please do the entire world a favor and vote him out (yes, I far well know that’s not going to happen, but a guy can dream). A man who cares more about his personal agenda than getting essential stimulus money to Americans has no business holding a political office of his caliber (for you Europeans, he’s the leader of the Republican party in the U.S. Senate). Just a quick side note–have you guys seen the recent pictures of him? I think he cares even less about his hand than he does about the stimulus package…if that’s possible.
But it’s more than just McConnell. Trump needs to go, too.
Like I said, I don’t strongly associate myself with the Republican party, but I have voted for the GOP (again, for the non-natives reading this, GOP is another term for Republican) in every election since I turned 18. John McCain, Mitt Romney, and, as embarrassed as I am to say it, Trump the first time he ran (although that was more about Clinton than it was about him).
In 2016, I actually was somewhat receptive of Trump and thought the time might be right to see what a political outsider could do in Washington.
Now, fast forwarding to 2020, we’ve seen what he can do.
We don’t need to see any more of it.
Listen, the Coronavirus crisis is unlike anything America–or the world–has ever dealt with. I do not envy any leader who has to make such high-stakes decisions with so many lives in the balance. It’s stressful. It’s difficult. I get it. Any president in any country would have been criticized by someone at some point.
But there’s no excuse for the way Trump has handled this. He needs to be held accountable. The best way to do that? Send him back to Mar-a-Lago (or, even better, jail) and let Mr. Biden have a shot at it.
Nearly a quarter of a million Americans dead. #thisisnotjustaflu
That’s all you need to know, folks.
Heck, he himself got the virus, yet he’s still holding these super spreader rallies with his red hat-clad supporters. And now, he’s threatening to fire Dr. Fauci? Come on.
It could not be more clear that America needs to go in a different direction. Is Joe Biden the perfect candidate? No. But Joe is a good and decent man. He and Kamala Harris will represent America with class and dignity. I’m tired of Trump embarrassing my country (just imagine having to explain some of his crap to Czech people). I am 110 percent sure that Biden will do a much better job than Trump at handling the coronavirus (is it even possible for him to do any worse?) and uniting America. Instead of befriending Putin, he will stand up to him. Instead of avoiding taxes, he will pay them, just like everybody else, because he knows it’s his duty as a citizen. After all, you’re a citizen first and a president second. Trump has never gotten this memo.
Vote. Do it for Breonna Taylor. Do it for George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Tamir Rice. Philando Castle. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Freddie Gray. Alton Sterling. Countless others.
They can’t vote. But you can. It’s in your hands.
We have to let our leaders know that we’re fed up with the status quo. But if we don’t speak up, no one will know there’s a problem.
If Americans make the mistake of giving Trump four more years, I honestly don’t know if I will ever be able to return to America. Things will get really bad–and potentially violent. We’ll be ridiculed even further and look like morons in the eyes of the world (if we don’t already).
As an American, I’m very worried. Sure, based on the polls, Trump isn’t likely to win.
You know what? He wasn’t likely to win at this time in 2016, either.
I’m a worrier. An excessive worrier. Those of you who know me all know that. I won’t be calm until Biden gets that 270th electoral vote.
But still, I worry. A lot. I get it from my mom. When I used to live at home, she’d worry if I drove five minutes down the road to get gas. Imagine how she must have felt when I moved to a foreign country!
In all seriousness, I’m worried about many, many things at the moment. This election is just one of the things wreaking havoc on my mental health.
Let me just come out and say it: I’m not doing as well as I would like.
This is not meant to be a “woe is me” tale, and I apologize to anyone who sees it that way. It’s meant, rather, to be openness…a stream of consciousness, so to speak. I’m not looking to draw attention to myself. I’m looking to draw attention to mental health.
For those who are just joining us…the Coronavirus is a disaster here in Prague. While the numbers are starting to tick down a bit, we are still one of the most affected countries in the world, and restrictions make it hard to do anything. Not only is there the constant fear of coming down with the virus, but having to adapt and move all my lessons online presents a whole new set of issues. Technological problems, things you can do face to face but not on the Internet, clients who just don’t like technology and opt to pause their lessons until it is possible to have them in person again, etc.
It’s deflating to the psyche. And to the bank account. And it’s less of an opportunity to get the experience that I so deeply crave.
It’s not just a little deflating. It’s Tom Brady-level deflating (yes, he’s on my team now, but I can still make fun of him).
Those reasons alone would be enough to give anyone anxiety. But as I said, the Czech Republic is under a lockdown at the moment, and it’s hard to socialize or see people. Isolation sucks, and it’s even worse for the psyche than you’d imagine.
Which leads me to my next point.
Lately, I’ve had this terrible–and perhaps irrational–fear of losing friends. I just worry that people will completely forget about me if we aren’t able to get together for weeks or months.
Someone who doesn’t deal with mental health problems would slap me across the face and tell me that I’m being ridiculous. Of course my friends will still be there after we emerge from this, and if they do forget about me, I should just forget about them and get better friends. The Golden Rule, right?
Deep down, do I know that is probably the case? Yes. But try telling that to someone with anxiety. They will always be skeptical.
It’s my makeup. It’s in my DNA. It’s been diagnosed by a doctor. It’s the way I am. I can’t change it.
This is why you can’t just tell someone with anxiety to get over it.
The recent restrictions have also given me more time to think about every last thing I’ve said to someone. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I go back and scrutinize EVERYTHING.
Literally everything. Every word I said. Every decision I made. Every interaction. So on and so forth.
Could I have done this better? Could I have been nicer? Should I have said this or not said that? This person isn’t returning my text–are they upset with me?
With all due respect to those of you who don’t have anxiety, you guys just can’t comprehend the constant (and exhausting) battles going on in our heads each and every day.
The majority of these battles are silent. Someone sees you on the outside and sees a good person. At least that’s what I hope they see when they look at me. But on the inside, there is so much else going on.
This, friends, is exactly why mental health awareness is needed.
Sure, you can and should be self-aware by engaging in relaxing activities to take your mind off of things. I’ve been making it a point to do one good thing for myself each day. It could be exercise or a walk, meditation, or writing this blog.
Awareness. Awareness. Awareness.
It’s great to be self-aware, but what can you do to raise awareness to others?
Open up. Talk about it. Let your family and friends know when you’re not doing well. Make sure those close to you know the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. These things are critically important.
Tell someone. Don’t hold it in. It’s not a cry for attention. It’s a cry for help.
And no matter which way this election goes, I have a feeling that a divided America is going to be crying for help in the days and weeks ahead.
God bless you all. God bless America. Have a good day.
Czeching Out the World of TEFL 