Election Night Primer: 10 Tips for Survival
Make sure you have all your medication. While this is should be considered a no-brainer, especially when talking about drugs such as insulin, blood thinners, and statins, we’re talking about anti-depressants. Nobody likes a hero and while you think you’re ready for whatever happens, you most assuredly are not. Consult your doctor and see if they want to adjust your dosage.
Make sure your refrigerator and pantry are well-stocked. If you haven’t been to Costco or Sam’s Club yet, now’s the time. No one knows what the world will be like on Wednesday morning. It seems safe to assume, regardless of the results, or if they’re still counting votes which is likely, you might not want to leave the safety of your home for a few days. Or a few weeks.
Along those lines, you might want to consider a generator. If things get bad, power outages could be a thing. At the very least consider extra battery packs for your phone and laptop. Whether it’s to check in on a relative, call 911, or book a flight out of the country, you’re going to want a way to communicate.
If fleeing the country does become your option, you’ll want a go bag prepared in advance. Make sure your passport is ready, pick out a few days worth of outfits, get some cash – probably a thousand U.S. dollars, and the equivalent in Euros, Canadian dollars and Pesos. The plan may be to make it to Europe but you might need to first pay someone to smuggle you to Canada or Mexico.
The other option is to stay put; in that case you might not want to be alone. Alone and really bad news is often not a combination that leads to happiness. So, who do you want to invite over, what person or people will provide comfort. Maybe it’s family and maybe it’s loved ones; not always the same thing.
Familiarize yourself with the lingo you’ll hear on the news; things like red or blue wave and red or blue mirage will be said more than a preteen says “um,” while giving a book report. Those phrases basically mean the person on the television has no idea what’s going to happen; all they know is what’s happening at that exact moment and things could change drastically 75,345 times in the next 20 minutes.
Be prepared for the fact that whatever things look like at the end of the night will probably not mean much. It could go on for days. Or months. There are people still trying to litigate what happened four years ago.
Make sure you know what other things are on television that night. Given the likelihood that things may drag on and on, you should be prepared to switch off Fox or CNN and check out a movie or something. It’s important to know options because while channel surfing, you won’t want to stumble upon more news, Make a list of movies you’ve been meaning to watch and figure out where they’re streaming.
Keep a list of emergency numbers, people who can either talk you off a cliff or are willing to jump with you.
Most importantly, remember that as the votes are counted, it will be as if some 300 million people are waiting for the same lab results. Is the tumor malignant or benign. You are far from alone.