Are We There Yet?

By Amy Berrafato, LMFT, CST

I grew up in Minneapolis, and moved to the suburbs of Chicago when I was 6 years old. Throughout grade school my family and I would load into that grey minivan for our annual road trip back to MN to see our friends. It was a grueling 7 hour drive, where my sisters and I would fight and kick each other in the battle for space in the back seat. “Mom, she’s touching me!” “Dad, my feet were here first!” We would constantly ask “Are we there yet?!” to which my parents would sarcastically respond “7 more hours!” no matter how far away we actually were. It was a painful lesson in patience for everyone involved. 

This election week has tested our patience like no other. Anxiety is at an all-time high as we navigate sleepless nights, stomach aches, and obsessive refreshing of news apps. Hearts are heavy as we watch our country grow more and more divided. Perhaps we are “nauseously optimistic.” Enough, already! We just want to know.

Sitting with uncertainty is one of the biggest triggers for anxiety. Staring into the unknown allows our deepest fears, what-ifs, and worst case scenarios to play out in our minds, and it’s not pretty. We can easily spiral and lose touch with reality.

Uncertainty also teaches us a lot about ourselves, particularly what we have control over and what we don’t. We are waiting in suspense, having done what we can by exercising our right to vote. Let’s take a moment to breathe, trust what we do know, and get grounded. Remember, don’t be the balloon.

No matter the outcome here, hope is a muscle we must flex. We can’t afford not to! We hope, we dream, and we love. 

And so, we wait. 7. More. Hours. Together.