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It's finally over. After more than a year of primaries, debates, conventions, speeches, prognostication, talk show jokes, "Saturday Night Live" spoofs and nauseating waves of deceptive and shallow attack ads, we, for better or worse, now have a new president, governor, senator, county commissioners, judges and other public servants.

But is it really over? Many of us are experiencing post-election hangovers. The dynamics are similar to what we experience when, after years of study, we get a piece of paper signifying we finally have that degree, or what we feel when, after following our favorite team for an entire season they win or lose the Super Bowl. After such a significant investment of emotional energy, we wake up the next morning with a combination of angst, lethargy and anxiety. We are facing that ultimate existential question: "Is that it? Is that all there is?"

We need perspective and we need to move on. Here are five antidotes for post-election hangovers that will help us do that.

Tamp down your expectations

Our elected representatives work within complex webs of bureaucratic checks and balances and global economic and political realities. No matter who won or lost, changes won't be as precipitous or rapid and things won't be as good or as bad as the pre-campaign propaganda led you to believe.

The trick is not to be emotionally codependent on the success or failure of our candidates. We are still in charge of our own lives and feelings.

Don't delegate your responsibility

There are two possible polar responses. Neither works.

The first is sour grapes. "My candidates lost. People were dumb enough to elect them and they'll reap what they've sown; they'll know better next time."

The second is euphoria. "The saviors have arrived; things are finally going to be fixed; time to sit back and enjoy it."

Both responses are passive and irresponsible. The first engenders the bitter acquiescence of victimhood; the second triggers nonproductive passivity.

Regardless of our views of the winners and losers, we, as responsible citizens of Greensboro and our region, have the responsibility to actively work to make things better.

Get involved in community

We experience elections in the abstract; we assess candidates' qualifications, emotionally react to their message, touch a box on a computer, and return to our daily routines.

Responsible citizenship requires more than just casting a ballot. A sure antidote for the existential blahs of a post-election hangover is to move from abstraction to action - to get our hands dirty.

The recession is having devastating effects on nonprofits and community agencies. Giving our time and our talents creates a double win. We benefit because engaging in a helping relationship will always make us feel better, and our community agencies will get some badly needed assistance.

Exercise personal leadership

We have elected public leaders at all levels. We may be happy or disappointed, but the deed is done and the jury is still out regarding long-term results.

We don't have to wait. One way to fill the post-election void is to rededicate ourselves to personal leadership.

For many, the lowest common denominator is the family unit. Stripped to its essence, leadership involves mobilizing commitment to a galvanizing vision, helping people get there and making them feel good about themselves during the voyage.

Parents can help their children achieve a future grounded in responsible choices and service to others. This parental leadership requires the discipline to walk the talk, the patience to serve as a coach and the judgment to occasionally exercise tough love.

Another way to exercise lowest common denominator leadership is to reach out to our friends and neighbors. The economic meltdown is the tip of the iceberg; our city and region have long been plagued by downsizings and layoffs. Taking the initiative to establish an empathetic relationship and giving whatever help we can -- social, financial or emotional -- is an act of leadership that will be deeply appreciated, personally fulfilling and not dependent on the performance of our recently elected public servants.

Tend to your mind, body and spirit

It is not a good strategy to sit back in anticipation of our newly elected public servants delivering on their job creation promises. It is, however, an excellent time to tune up rusty or outdated job skills by attending one of the excellent educational institutions in our region.

Exercise is remarkably therapeutic for stress and anxiety. One simple remedy for the disconcerting lethargy of post-election blahs is to begin an exercise program. You don't have buy equipment or join a club. Taking walks in one of our region's parks or greenways is an effective and inexpensive alternative.

Finally, we can use our post-election hangover as a wake-up call to better access our own core values, spirituality and beliefs. Our belief systems provide an internal, spiritual rudder that we can use to navigate the external, transitory vicissitudes of campaign promises and media emotional manipulation.

David Noer (dnoer@elon.edu) is the Frank S. Holt Jr. Professor of Business Leadership at Elon University and an honorary senior fellow at Greensboro's Center for Creative Leadership. He writes a monthly column for the News & Record on leadership, organizational behavior and community issues.