Texts to the Crisis Text Line Double as Election Night Results Come In

Crisis Text Line – a text-based crisis hotline, which pairs those needing support with trained crisis counselors – reports they have received two times the amount of texts they usually receive following the results of the U.S. election early Wednesday morning.

According to Liz Eddy, the director of communications for Crisis Text Line, the crisis line has never seen a surge like this following a political event. They have, however, seen similar surges following other current events, like the death of Robin Williams.

If you need support in the period following the election, you can reach the Crisis Text Line by sending a text to 741741.

You can read Crisis Text Line’s full statement below.

You Got This, America

Yesterday was a bit of surprise–for the people who are happy about the election results and the people who are unhappy. The entire country is feeling feels.

What is the data?
In the last 24 hours, we’ve seen a 2x increase in volume.
The words “election” and “scared” are the top two things being mentioned by texters.
The most common association with “scared” was “LGBTQ.”
Over 5% of texters yesterday mentioned anxiety about family disagreement over the election.

How are we handling this moment?
We rallied! Our community of trained volunteer Crisis Counselors has been incredible. And, amazingly, our quality and response times have been higher than average!

Despite the increase in volume, we actually saw a 2 percentage point increase in satisfaction ratings. (A whopping 88% of texters said that connecting with us was helpful.)
Despite the increase in volume, we actually saw a 3 percentage point increase in speed. We were able to help 91% of texters in under 5 five minutes–including “high severity” texters connecting with a human in an average 39 seconds.

How can YOU handle this moment?
You’re feeling a lot of feels (confusion, fear, depression), but you’re probably not in crisis. There are simple things you can do to keep yourself calm and safe. And, you can share these things with other people too! (Helping others get calm is a terrific way to help yourself!)

Kindness. Do a random, anonymous act of kindness for someone else today. Putting love out there in the world is an amazing way to help someone else–and you–feel happy.
Community work. Frustrated about the national political landscape? Think local! Be part of a hands-on solution. DoSomething.org has hundreds of ideas–and they don’t require any $$.
People. Humans need other humans. If your parents voted for the other party, maybe avoid talking politics with your parents for a few days! Instead, spend time with people who feel your feels. Cook, exercise, binge on Netflix. Do activities with friends…beyond talking.
Self-Care. There are free evidence-based techniques that can help you feel calm and in control: the 4-7-8 method, 54321 technique and this breathing gif.
Resources. We’ve listed some terrific resources at CrisisTextLine.org

How to help a freaked-out friend?
Are your friends having a tough time? You can help. Best thing you can do: listen.
Validate their feelings…and don’t try to solve the problem. You can’t solve other people’s problems!
Recognize their strengths. (“Wow, you are so brave.”)
Asking questions is great, and so is just simply listening. Lots of head nodding. Lots of hugs. Just be there.
Help them remember things that make them feel strong. Music? Exercise? Writing?
Feeling like you might be good at this? Apply to be a volunteer Crisis Counselor.

You got this, America. Really, you do.