My therapist hosted a group session today for any of his clients that wanted to discuss how they’re feeling about the election. I went. There were five of us there, and it was really helpful.

He said he’d decided to do this special session because in his 26 years of practice, he’d never experienced a week with his clients like this one. Not even after 9/11. People have been upset, scared, worried, and depressed, and he thought it would be helpful to get folks together to share their thoughts and feelings.

I met some nice, interesting guys, and it was cathartic to hear how they’ve been dealing with the last few days.

As for me, what I took away from the session was that I don’t have to feel bad about feeling miserable about what’s happened. Some people are emotionally resilient and can easily compartmentalize their thoughts. That kind of thing is a little harder for me. Some people are moving immediately to anger and protest. I’m not really up for that right now. It will take me as long as it takes to return to normalcy, and that’s okay. You have to be who you are and you have to know what you need. As they say on airplanes, you should put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.

My therapist decided that in lieu of a fee for the session, we’d pay him whatever we wanted, and we’d collectively choose a charity to give the money to. We’ve decided to give it to a Muslim rights group – not sure which one yet.

I’m really glad he did this.