Did Trump's election affect your mood?

Did it? How so?

It made me slightly depressed because our country voted for the worst possible candidate. (I don't mean to offend you if you actually like him, but ya know... it's just my opinion.) Now I feel like all hope is lost. :/

I don't feel like all hope is lost. I have decided to wait and see. All of these riots and destructiion of property and even calling for his assassination is reprehensive and an insult to all Americans.

Yeah, totally - and in a weird way. For the first day, I was totally numb. I didn't sleep at all Tuesday night. I was stuck in my mind in a similar way I was when I tried Ritalin. For the next few days, and still even a bit now (though I admit, SNL tonight helped ease my mind a lot), I was sent into an agitated depression. But... the depression was something unlike anything I have ever experienced in the 18 years I've lived with this disease.

For once, it wasn't my brain turning on me, it was as if my heart literally broke within my chest. Think Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. That scene when they are on their way to Alderaan, but the empire blows it up. Obi-Wan suddenly stops, aghast, filled with intense sorrow which forces him to sit down and says, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

But, for me, it's not Trump himself that caused it. It's the people - politicians - he has associated himself with that he is more than likely, unless he does a complete 180, to place into positions of power: the ultra-hardcore Christian right. Politicians who are so super-capitalist that they'd tell a quadriplegic to "stop being lazy and get a job" I they want health insurance and that raising the minimum wage would run businesses into the ground, thus continuing the cycle of people working solely to physically survive, as opposed to being able to actually enjoy their lives (a privilege reserved solely for the wealthy, it would seem - in their eyes); who feel that, because the LGBT+ community makes them uncomfortable, they have the right dehumanize them and the authority to strip them of basic human rights; who adhere so strictly to the Bible (oddly enough the Old Testament) that they feel women are to be submissive to men, have no place in the world but the home and view them as second-class citizens; who insist that radical Islamic extremism is such a threat to American freedom (which it's not... like at all. I mean, it exists, and is a very real threat to freedom in western Asia, but not to our liberties here in the USA) that they feel they can, once again, dehumanize Muslims and profile them all the while attempting to instill a Christian theocracy within the United States (essentially turning us into a Christian version of Muslim theocracies in the Middle east); who will fight tooth and nail to do away with abortion rights and any clinic which provides any form of women's healthcare to low-income women which receives government funds; who will pass "religious freedom" laws which enable Christians (and really no other religion), even within the federal government, to actively discriminate against any person who is not part of or "goes against" their religion (be they LGBTQ+, Muslim, Jewish, atheist, a person of color, or any other type of person the Christian right views as "inferior").

What also scares me are the Trump cult followers. These non-politician ultra-rightwing people who, for the last eight years, have been amassing stockpiles of automatic weapons of war with the delusional intention of overthrowing the Obama administration and literally executing him; who for the last eight years have done nothing but hurl racial slurs and physical threats Obama's way - and who now insist they are the civil ones, who view the mass demonstrators as "crybabies" and tell them to "get over it." (Sure, the physical destruction of property is a bit excessive, but the demonstrations themselves are a natural reaction for people who truly feel threatened.) These people (in the cult) lack even the most basic human intelligence and speak only the language of hatred and violence. And they are heavily armed!

And let's not forget those who say, "not all Trump supporters are racist/misogynistic, etc.," but who, by supporting a man whose entire campaign was fueled by such unjustified hatred, have passively showed their support of everything those who actually are racist/misogynistic, etc. stand for.

All of this, in combination with the rumors (yes, I know they are but rumors right now, but even if they are jokes, they are not funny) of who he would appoint to head various government agencies is stressing me out: a young earth creationist as the head of the Department of Education!? A climate change denier as the head of the EPA!? W.T.F!?

I have calmed down a bit in the last day or two (again, Saturday's SNL episode helped), but at the same time, I can't help but be scared shtless for what the future holds. Sure, Trump himself is somewhat of an "idiot savant" of sorts (he's dumber than dirt in general, and any person with half a functioning brain can easily see through his BS, but he can masterfully manipulate people. Let's also not ignore the fact that he seems to be flip-flopping on his issues due to what appears to be severely low self-esteem), but it's likely he really won't be doing a whole lot other than being the official face of the administration. This administration seems to be setting up for a Bush-esque administration where the VP is the true puppet master. And Mike Pence scares the crap out of me!

This is really long-winded, but I guess, in short: as a bi-racial, polysexual atheist with a mental illness, I do fear what the future holds for me and people like me (including all of you). Though I highly doubt they'd succeed, it wouldn't surprise me if this administration at least toyed with the thought of getting rid of all forms of government assistance - or at the very least gutting the system to bare bones simply because that's the kind of people they are. They care for nobody but themselves and their immediate colleagues of like mind and wealth. Of course Trump has said he has no intentions of doing anything like this, but we must remember that these hardcore republicans are now in control of the House, the Senate and the White House. Their authoritarian power will be virtually unchecked, especially given that - unless Obama pulls something out of his butt in the next two months - they will be appointing Supreme Court Justices who will side with them, possibly to the point of totally ignoring, redefining or overturning existing laws in order to bring about their rather super-villainous agenda.

I mean, don't get me wrong... Clinton would have been far from the best... but things wouldn't be setting up to be as bad - at least with regards to human/civil rights, which is the main flashpoint of the anti-Trump movement; with Clinton, it would likely have been more of an economic problem.

It's one of those, hope for the best, prepare for the worst situations for me, I guess.

Very, very well said!

I'm not liking that republicans now own all three branches but mood wise I'm in my own little world.

I'm depressed and scared now and keep on hoping I'm freaking out for no reason and everything will be fine.

I don't think Trump has made any effect on my mood. Maybe some anxiety for a couple days. How people are acting has effected me more. From the racism shown from both sides, destruction of property, etc. It is making me lose faith in the people of this country.

I really couldn't give a **** if a kangaroo got elected.

the election coverage.. just, ugg

I am so glad that it's all finished. you'd think you wouldn't here about it in the UK, but oh my god do you hear about it

As a person who has a pre-existing condition and is for all intents and purposes, disabled, I am deathly afraid of what is to come under his administration. I have had to distance myself from many family and friends over the last few days, even staying away from Facebook because of it.

I was already in a mixed manic episode according to the doctors before the election. I was elevated one second and crying the next...after the election I was hysterically crying for 2 days I believe...became a bit more delusional and then it switched back to something more mixed with more elevation and good stuff. I think I'm coming down from mania finally...I slept all day yesterday and just feel down and sick now. Not sure how I feel about the election anymorebecause I'm too sick to think about it ...but yes....it threw me for some fruit loops for awhile.

Never paid attention to Pence, since I thought they'll never had a chance.
Thanks to Comey, the election went South. The aftermath is terrible to accept.
People talk of impeachment. Very possible due to the president-elect trajectory.
After checking Pence's record, I'm no sure I want Pence as president either.
One is a delusional narcissist. The other is a deliberate evil, hiding behind religious beliefs.
Which one can do the most harm?. I don't know. I thought Hillary won.

I'm posting here for the issue - I'm not bipolar but it's a great thread.

cmorales' post captured my own concerns very well. Additionally, I've been shocked by the vitriol, panic and chest-beating flooding from both ends of the political spectrum on social sites like facebook. There might be a lot of tense family reunions this Thanksgiving! I am hoping that most people can work together on meaningful common causes and not disappear into extreme ideological bunkers for the next four years - or equally as bad, passively resign themselves to any truly negative changes.

I'm stuck between guarded optimism and "oh no, it's going to hit the fan after all". I HAVE been worried that the extremes on the far right may (at any level of society) just feel bold enough to shove some unacceptable agendas down everyone else's throats, and I hope that worry is exaggerated.

I'm heart sick and afraid

Your last sentence really struck a positive cord with me. The "stand by your man" philosophy isn't always what's best either. We must be peaceful but not passive. Keep our eyes peeled but not jump the gun. It's going to be interesting and nobody from either camp knows what to expect. Time will be our teacher.

Yes. I'm afraid for civilization as we know it. No benzos for me. I think I see Pdoc next week

Quite frankly I'm scared to death. My daughter is LGBTQ+, my husband is an atheist, we all have mental health issues and we live on government assistance and military retirement. I'm very concerned that we will lose everything because of these clowns.

Yes, I am irritated at the people who voted for him and worried about what he wants to do to "make America great again."

Yes, it made me very happy and optimistic about the future for the first time in a number of years. I look forward to having more money due to tax cuts.

Yes, very much so. In fact, I was surprised by how much the election affected my mood. It sent me into a spiraling depression -- today was the first time I left the house since Tuesday... and I am not agoraphobic or have social anxiety. I suppose it caught me completely off guard because I hadn't even considered the possibility of a Trump win.
I have run the gamut of emotions -- sad, heartbroken, angry, hopeless, hopeful, motivated, discouraged... half of me is ready to get up and get to work, to try to better our country, but the other half just wants to give up. Something inside of me broke on Tuesday night.

I was depressed. Finally took a bath and I'm going to get groceries. Have barely been eating. I'm feeling better. It's still scary tho, all that he could do.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/12...re-repeal.html

Trump may not appeal the 2 most universally loved aspect of the Affordable Health Care Act. Just passing on a bit of hopeful news.

I was anxious for it all to be over, but incredibly disappointed with the results. At my workplace, everyone was in a really bad mood the next day, including myself, since the results were not as most expected. I live in a traditionally Democratic state, so many people were very upset, including me. A few people at work complained of their stomach's hurting after the election and some actually expressed wishing to go to a support group.

For me, it doesn't even come down to being a Democrat vs a Republican though. As bluebicycle said, the worst possible candidate was picked, in my opinion too. I accept that everyone has their own perspective though.

I try to suppress my feelings regarding the results of the election, otherwise too much anger, sadness, and especially fear will affect me. The sexism and comments tied to this whole election has been triggering some past trauma in me (the comments and attitudes towards women as well as the women who came forward about different things throughout the election). Same with issues surrounding race and ethnicity. I'm pretty horrified by this whole election, actually.

Now, there's nothing that can be done to change the results, so all I'm trying to do is accept that piece. Of course, acceptance does not mean liking the results. I'm still angry and worried about the future. Hopefully the worst won't happen, is all I'm trying to tell myself to cope with it.

Yes, I was elated.

I was super anxious the entire day Tues, and got scared when the results came in, had to take a klonopin to go to bed...I woke up to the sound of jet fighters, probably about 6 of them..I"m not usually in the flight path of the AF jets so I woke up terrified that we were at war. It took most of the day and spending time in the afternoon with my grandbaby to finally calm down from it all. I"m not sure it affected my mood up or down, perhaps a bit down in the morning I think, but I was overwhelmed by a whole bunch of things happening at once. I had severe anxiety with the '12 election too, I absolutely couldn't even listen to the candidates voices without being near panic. weird huh?

Well, that escalated quickly!

By now you may have heard, or if you haven't, Trump has brought a man very much associated with the white nationalist movement on as one of his chief strategists.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...se-strategist/

Here is an article shared by a friend which shows a list of quotes attributed to this man on various subjects, including this quote with regards to mental health:

“I’ve got a cure for mental health issue. Spank your children more.”

10 Headlines From the White House's New Chief Strategist on Science and Tech

What little optimism I had left is quickly fading.