I’m too self-aware to claim to be wise (grey hair alone doesn’t cut it) but I have circled the sun enough times to claim some perspective. For what it’s worth (2 cents) here are my musings about dealing with pre-election stress syndrome..

1. Everything is clickbait. Gone are the days of in-depth reporting, fact-checking, analysis, and impartiality. Walter Cronkite is nowhere to be found. The race is on to be first with a story, and first is not good enough, it has to be just a little more sensational than the competition … accuracy be damned, we need clicks!
2. Carmelize the stories. Some things cannot be rushed. If you want to make onion soup you must transform the raw, biting onions into a sweet, caramelized version of their formal self. It requires slow even heat and constant attention. You can’t hurry the process by just turning up the heat,  a burnt mess will be the result. So it is with news stories, it’s the bombshell, the next shocking revelation that gets our attention … but in a few days or weeks, the truth will come out and it often bears no resemblance to the initial story ( be patient and don’t jump to conclusions).
3. Pick your truth. Critical thinking may not be dead, but it’s on life -support. The internet provides the option of selecting those news feeds which match our own preconceived ideas. Gone are the days of a few traditional news sources, newspapers, TV or cable. Today you can pick your news feeds from the most radical (left or right). If you decide to believe the Holocaust never happened, you can find those who will prop-up your ideas, it saves you the effort from having to think or research.
4. Question everything. Life is complicated, people are complicated. If you believe one party is always right and the other party is always wrong … come see me, I have a bridge and some prime Florida land for sale.
5. Know where you stand. Take an inventory of your beliefs, then rank them. There are some issues where I will remain resolute and nothing will budge me. There are issues of foreign or financial policy where I may have an opinion but be open to other ideas. Then there are issues where I just want to say, “Meh.” You can stand firm on your principles without being hateful.
6. Get small. National politics are one thing, neighbors and family are another. You can rail, stew and scream about things happening on the national stage without affecting them at all. But you can wind yourself up so tight that it will affect you and those around you. Family and friends come first.
7. Forgiveness is not a weakness.