After 18 months of a long, sometimes ugly political fight it's finally over. And while one half of the electorate is elated the other half is on edge and in many cases protesting.
Melissa Bass-Ching, who is a licensed therapist, says the nastiness of the election could bring back past emotional traumas for some people.
"I think many people are still in a place of shock,” Bass-Ching tells NBC 7. "Especially if folks have any signs of trauma or different life experiences in their story, in many ways they've been collectively retriggered."
A new study by the American Psychological Association, finds the 2016 election was a significant source of stress for more than half of American adults.
Bass-Ching says one of the best things to do is to stay connected.
"Regardless of where we stand on the results, we can come together, and it brings us together where we're not separated and disengaged,” Bass-Ching says. “And we build our resilience, not just our emotional resilience but our resilience as a community."
And it's that community, she says, that will get us through this divisive time.
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"I think now more than ever it's important to stay curious, to stay calm, and confident in the power of standing up, or asking for help and asking questions - and say help me understand,” she says.
