I am not a therapist. But as the head of a busy digital shop, sometimes I pretend to be.
Win or lose, the weeks after Election Day can be some of the toughest. Many of you reading this will go from Wunderkind to invisible overnight and it can be a shock to the system. The adrenaline wears off overnight, the intensity evaporates instantly, and suddenly you’re left with this gaping quiet.
That crash, paired with the onset of winter, can trigger something like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it can hit campaign operatives hard. It hit me hard 25 years ago when, after a tough 100-hour per week state house campaign, my phone didn’t ring for a month.
The Post-Election Crash: In campaign mode, your entire life is consumed by the next deadline, the next event, the next thing. It’s a rollercoaster, and you’re running on adrenaline, caffeine, or whatever works for you. But once the votes are counted, whether you win or lose, it all just… stops. The instant quiet feels unnatural. Suddenly there’s no urgency, no rush, no big purpose pulling you forward. I wish someone warned me 25 years ago that this might feel like you’ve lost your core identity.
Loss of Purpose: So much of what we do is purpose-driven. We wrap ourselves in a campaign, and when that’s gone, it leaves a void. That loss of momentum can feel particularly stark for first-timers who’ve been giving everything nonstop. The sudden sense of purposelessness can be hard to manage.
The Seasonal Factor: Campaigns end just as the days are getting shorter and colder. This isn’t just inconvenient timing — SAD is real and is linked to the decrease in sunlight during fall and winter. Halloween is the cruelest holiday for anyone with kids and in politics. But by mid-November, it can be the silence and not the work-life balance tugging at your sanity.
This kind of shift doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. While some colleagues enjoy the post-election calm and uncertainty, I found it difficult. Even working for the best candidates this fall doesn’t stop your brain from reacting to the sudden drop in adrenaline and dopamine. For those who may not be familiar with this experience, here’s how to handle the transition:
Brace yourself. Every two years, I warn my team that this feeling is normal. The post-election crash happens to a lot of us. Plenty of people can let it go easier and enjoy the downtime easily. What’s important is to recognize that the dip is part of the cycle, and should be expected.
Pace yourself. I know the instinct might be to immediately jump into another campaign or project in November. But pace yourself. Find ways to stay engaged, but give yourself room to breathe.
Get outside: The lack of sunlight affects your mood more than you might think. Having gone through a rather stressful year, I found that working outside is the best medicine. A half hour or more in the morning is what most literature recommends.
Invest in great earbuds. Right after an election, you need to recalibrate. If you go from top speed to zero, your mind and body are going to rebel. If you worked 100-hour weeks, and ate like shit, what you see in the mirror may be gnarly. Build a new routine. Start your days with something that gets you moving—exercise, even just a quick walk outside, helps.
Reconnect with loved ones. Now it’s the time to reinvest in relationships that may have suffered. Your partner, friends, and family might have missed you. Even if they didn’t, it’s a good time to reintroduce yourself. There may be no work life balance between August and November, but it can be recalibrated in December and January.
Set Small, Achievable Goals: It’s easy to feel lost when the candidate isn’t relying on you for everything. Set small, personal goals that you can achieve in the weeks after the campaign. Call your parents for the first time in a year. Take a little time to ponder what went right and wrong during the cycle, but don’t dwell on mistakes and what could have been if your candidate had won. Read a book. See some foliage. Travel. Lose the weight you just gained by eating Chick-Fil A six days a week. Get on Tinder, Grindr. Whatever.
For those of you experiencing this for the first time, know that it’s part of the rhythm of political life. You’ll find your way through it, and it’ll make you stronger for the next challenge.
Jordan Lieberman is the CEO of Powers Interactive.
