Arguing with people who backed the other candidate is unlikely to help relationships and may hurt them more, William Doherty, director of marriage and family therapy at the University of Minnesota, told The Wall Street Journal.
Now that Election Day has come and gone, many people are trying to put frayed relationships back together, including those among family, friends and, potentially, co-workers, employees and even customers.
William Doherty, director of marriage and family therapy at the University of Minnesota, told The Wall Street Journal that “politically opposed couples should put the presidential campaign in a box, leave it on the shelf and move on.”
“If you didn’t come to a consensus a year and a half ago, you’re not going to come to one now that the election is over,” he said.
His tips for reconciling with people who backed the other candidate include:
- Don’t gloat if your candidate won, and don’t predict the end of the country if yours lost.
- Don’t continue an argument that will get you nowhere.
- If you need to vent, do so with people who share your view.
- At holiday gatherings, respond to a gloating Trump supporter that you weren’t for him but hope he is a good president. Then go get a glass of wine and find relatives who share your views.
- Put the presidential campaign in a box, leave it on the shelf and move on.
