How to heal after this hurtful election? Look after each other – and yourselves

If we all take some responsibility for what goes on around us, things might not get much better – but with any luck, they won’t get any worse

According to Boris Johnson, “the healing starts now”. Hmm, but how? It’s less than a week since the shock-horror election results – although with the benefit of hindsight, everyone of course saw the landslide coming.

As a disappointed Lib Dem Remain voter, I was terribly upset by the outcome. At the same time, I was relieved that the cult of Corbyn was finally over.

Write what you like in the comments section: I’ve heard it all before and I’m immune. In any case, if “healing” is going to happen, we’ve got to stop jumping down each other’s throats for not singing from exactly the same hymn sheet.

Let’s face it: all three leaders standing in this election were awful. In fact, Jeremy Corbyn is so awful he hasn’t had the grace to resign yet.

Interestingly, the reaction from all the devastated Labour-voting young people that I know has been an instant call to arms: an urge to volunteer, donate and raise awareness for local causes. My daughter’s Twitter feed has been buzzing with ideas of who and how to help out in southeast London and even I, cynical cow that I am, found that taking a bin liner crammed with barely worn clothes down to my local charity shop made me feel a bit better; at least I was doing something.

I’m not sure if this is the kind of healing that Boris is talking about, but I think if the country keeps an eye on all the people likely to need more help over the next five years, we can at least do something to offset some of the damage this Tory government could inflict.

For example, for less than £30 right now, you can reserve a place for a homeless person at Crisis this Christmas. Not only will this give them warmth, shelter and food over the festive period, it will introduce them to Crisis’s year-round support package. Watch this video if you need any more convincing.

I know it all might seem small fry but I genuinely believe that if we all take some responsibility for what goes on around us, things might not get much better – but with any luck, they won’t get any worse

Talking about healing, I spent election night at very trendy London art gallery Fiumano Clase. I knew it was trendy because it looked like a disused fire station and the stairwell was dank. It reminded me of the Eighties when everything was fun and exciting and life was just one warehouse party after another.

Anyway, the exhibition featured around 50 art works created by comedians raising funds for Mental Health UK. It was great: there were watercolours, ink drawings, photos, acrylics, nudes, glittery aubergines and ceramics with prices ranging from £50 to a cool £1m for Rob Auton’s aptly titled painting I Want to be a Millionaire.

The show was curated by the young comic Annie McGrath, who spotted a strong link between comedy and mental health and cleverly put the two together to raise some funds.

Now at this point, I’m happy to put my hand up and say that painting helps me through tough times. Although I have no idea how many of the comics who contributed to the exhibition struggle with their own mental health issues, I’d hazard it’s quite a few.

Of course, it’s not just comics who have the monopoly on depression and anxiety. Most of us fall down at some point in our lives and need ways to pick ourselves back up. Those of us who can help ourselves through creative outlets are lucky, and I firmly believe that for a healthy mind and body, children should be taught art, yoga, swimming and baking at school.

Because I’m a narcissist, I have to admit that selling my own painting at the charity fundraiser – The Sort of Painting Middle-Aged Women Do, a bunch of irises in oils – gave me a much-needed boost on that miserable Friday morning. In fact, one of the first things I did when our new political landscape became horribly clear was to get my paints out; I know others who instinctively cooked.

So if anyone’s still feeling bruised by last week’s events, I truly believe that the best way to get over it is to do something positive. Whether this is by donating, volunteering, making, baking or even buying art by comics for good causes, it doesn’t matter. The most important thing to prove in is that whilst politics might be rotten, most people really aren’t.