SAN FRANCISCO – Election Day is over, but some people are still feeling the burnout and anxiety that came with it.
They find creative ways to ease those feelings, like spending an evening at Bay Area Smash Room.
The election was marked by polarizing candidates and issues, and Alys Landle has unsettled feelings about the outcome.
“Not great, not terrible,” Landale said.
She says she still carries some of the weight of the election days later.
“Obviously I wasn’t very happy with the outcome of the election, but you do what you can,” Landale said. “I think just being here allows me to express some of the feelings I have.”
So she put on clothes and walked to the smash room.
Jordan Aban works at the reception. He says Landale isn’t alone in choosing to break things to deal with the results.
“Of the many things they come here frustrated about, I would say the elections are something they have been frustrated about lately,” Aban said.
He gives them some simple guidelines to make the most of their time in the smash room.
“Go crazy, take out all your frustrations,” Aban said. ‘I want to hear you laugh, scream, cry. Whatever you need to get out, I want to hear it.”
Employee William Roberson wants to create a safe place where people can process what they’re experiencing and he believes people have been involved in politics for a while.
“I’ve noticed a lot of messages on the wall related to what’s happened over the last four years. Some of the messages are ‘insensitive,’ let’s say, but people are working out their frustrations,” Roberson said.
Although it may sound loud and chaotic, it brings peace to Landale.
“It’s like a catharsis and you feel the release of emotions,” she said. “That’s part of it, but it’s just a fun way to express all your feelings, you know?”
Landale and many others left with a smile, something needed in times of division.
