Free elections are what make this country great, but they can also wear you down. Personally, I’ve never been happier to finally be past a presidential election. It was an exhausting campaign, and it seems like everyone has been on edge for forever. Now that the president has been elected to a second term, we are still faced with a national debt crisis, and what’s next? The howlidays!

I need a break. I need to catch my breath before Thanksgiving arrives and starts us off on a seemingly nonstop holiday season stretching through the New Year. Political yammering and commercials are soon to be replaced with retail yammering and commercials. I need to slow … down.

Fortunately for myself and others so inflicted or affected or whatever, I have the solution:

DOGS IN SLOW MOTION!

Trust me. It works. This week I thoroughly tested my hypothesis, and it was a resounding success.

So in the interest of helping everyone decompress from the election and gather strength for the coming howliday season, I present to you my foolproof prescription for lower stress and better humor. Depending on how serious your post-election condition is, you may choose to spread your viewing out over a period of time or, like me, simply indulge in some binge viewing.

So hang onto your hats, pop some popcorn, and cuddle up on the couch with your favorite pooch or human. I challenge you to watch these clips and not smile, laugh, guffaw, and otherwise feel your stress falling away like autumn leaves from a tree.

We should start our slow-motion journey with an epic theme, say, Chariots of Fire.

Tell me you’re not smiling. 🙂

From lovable Labrador puppies running to the strains of Vangelis’ epic score, we turn to this sublimely simple clip from the Discovery Channel’s Time Warp series:

There’s no music or fancy footwork going on there — just a dog lapping up water from a bowl, using his incredibly versatile and agile tongue. How cool is that?

And speaking of tongues, check out the nose-wiping agility of the pup in this video. The fun starts at the 46-second mark. You will be amazed.

Quiz time! What’s just about the most fun thing for a dog to do? If you said, “Going for a ride in the car and sticking their heads out the window” — you got it right. This next video is a celebration of dogs in cars.

At a little over five minutes, it’s the longest video on my list. It starts a little slow, but before you know it, the credits will be going by (my favorite part of the video, by the way) and you’ll be overcome with the urge to hop in the car and feel the wind in your face yourself.

Guess what? We just passed the halfway mark. Only three videos to go. Are you having fun yet? Close, but not quite there?

Try indulging in some unbounded joy. Check out this adorable Yorkie’s video:

It’s cool that the video starts out with the pup riding in the car, head out the window, but just when you assume it’s going to be “Dogs In Cars, the Sequel,” the video takes us into the backyard with one happy Yorkie bouncing around. I love how his fur shimmers in the sunlight.

Speaking of fur, check out the fur action (and some pretty cool tongue action, as well) in this video. Yeah, I know it’s a commercial, but we’re not promoting the product, company, etc. It’s all about the fur and tongues and those cute pups in slow motion.

OK, by now you should be feeling much more relaxed. Your post-election stress, caused by the exuberant celebration of a hard-won victory or the sad lamention of a crushing defeat, should be pretty much gone now. But if the previous videos didn’t do the trick, this one surely will.

In fact, this is the video I recommend as a quick fix for what ails you. Bad day at work? Monday morning blues? Searching for the meaning of life and needing some newfound joy? This video has it all: a cool music track by Scott & Brendo and dogs, dogs, DOGS! In SLOOOW MOTION!

There you have it: Watch Dog’s surefire remedy for post-election exhaustion and a pre-howliday pick-me-up. Watch these videos and you’re bound to feel stronger and ready to face the day, the coming weeks, and whatever else might be on your plate.

How about you? What’s your solution to decompress or bolster your spirits? Ben Stein says the solution to most every problem is to “get a dog.” Of course, he’s right, but let’s get specific. How did your dog (or a friend’s dog) get you through the recent grueling presidential election campaign? With the howlidays nearing, is there a particular way your dog will help you get through the manic frenzy that is about to descend upon us?

You know the drill. Sharing is caring, so toss all of us a bone in the comments’ section. The person you help just might be you.

As for me … I gotta watch “Dogs In Slow Motion” one more time! HUZZAH!