Use This 'Election Distractor' to Deal With Your Nervous Energy

Two days from now, it’ll be Election Day. With so many people voting early - both in person and by mail - it’s unclear what Tuesday will look like at the polls, but whether you’re standing in line or not, you may find yourself dealing with a lot of nervous energy. To help with that, the New York Times has put together an “Election Distractor” full of images, videos and soundscapes to transport you (or at least your mind) to somewhere that is not November 2020 - even just for a few minutes. Here’s how it works.

How to use the ‘Election Distractor’
It opens on close-up, alternating shots of white grapes and an avocado, spinning slowly beneath the names of the people involved with making this package/tool. It’s easy to just stay here, gazing at the fruit and listening to a song that sounds a bit like a lullaby, on repeat.

From there, who knows where you’ll end up, because the offerings vary. If you’re not entirely sure what you’re seeing or what you’re supposed to do with it, look to the top left corner of your screen for a hint. After clicking through for a while, I encountered the following things:

A woman making an easy recipe for decadent hot chocolate
An animated conversation featuring a giraffe breaking up with a dog (because the dog is addicted to work), performed by Megan Stalter
Video footage of a sneaky bird on a beach in Mexico
A gif of shapes you can use as a breathing exercise
A moment of calm in the form of a video of bees buzzing through some yellow flowers
Time-lapse video of a plant growing, but only when you tap and then hold the screen so a little watering can pops up
Close-up footage of Ikechukwu Ufomadu singing what sounds like some version of a yodel