Five years ago this morning, we were all waking up with a mixture of shock, panic and dread.

[Tommy Carcetti]

Five years later, we survived the initial storm (barely), have a Democratic President, have control of both houses of Congress (barely), and yet the situation (and democracy itself) remains as precarious as ever.

That was an awful morning, though. First time in my life I ever woke up literally shaking.

[lagomorph777]

1. I didn't wake up that morning...

...not because I was dead (though I wanted to be), but because I never slept.

[Aristus]

2. I went to bed the night before sick to my stomach.

It got worse the next morning when the reality of it really hit me. I went to work to try to power through the day, but had to go home before I had seen a single patient. My wife and I spent that day in a state of stunned shock, too dazed to do anything but try to comfort one anther.

[Tommy Carcetti]

5. I spent the day listening to the works of Leonard Cohen to try to work things out....

...not knowing that he had actually passed away two days earlier.

[MontanaMama]

3. Worst morning of my adult life

next to the day my dad died. It was horrible.

[Hoyt]

4. Worse, someone hacked DU the night before. Sick feeling all around.

[Tommy Carcetti]

12. I remember the exact moment DU went down.

I was volunteering as poll watcher for outside an assigned precinct. (Basically making sure no one in line was being harassed.)

About 4:00, I noticed a couple of people decked out in Trump paraphernalia and holding Trump signs go up to the front of the precinct and request the precinct deputy take a picture of them holding Trump signs, for whatever reason. And for whatever reason, the precinct deputy obliged.

I went to post about on DU, only to find a blank page.

It was a lightning bolt like moment. Even then, I knew something was off about the mojo of the day.

[XanaDUer2]

6. I woke up happy, then saw FB messages from friends

In California that they couldn't stop crying. Turned on the TV with trepidation.

Shock. Just shock.

[BlueTsunami2018]

7. I had a knot in my stomach for more than four years.

And it hasn’t really gotten much better. Yeah we “won” but I’m still sick in my heart because I know what’s coming. This country is just stupid, plain and simple.

[Lunabell]

8. I cried.

And I will never forget Kate McKinnon's rendition of Hallelujah on SNL that following Saturday. I really cried then.

But isn't today just a glorious day!?!

[wryter2000]

9. I went to bed before it was decided

But things weren't looking good. I woke up hoping Hillary had won, after all. When I realized she hadn't, I thought "I hate white people." I'm white. Of course, I don't hate white people, but I hate white people who vote so stupidly.

[Crunchy Frog]

10. Over that night I consumed an entire bag of leftover Halloween candy,

as well as a fistful of Klonopin, and as much alcohol as I could get into me (which admittedly isn't that much). I never even felt any sedation. Got about three hours of sleep in the early AM, and then stark awake again.

I ended up freaking out my then 7 year old son, and he brought me back to Earth.

After that initial period of shock and horror, I have to honestly say that I've been more scared during the past year than I was during most of TFGs time in the WH.

[3catwoman3]

11. I didn't sleep, and I...

...wore black to work on Wednesday.

The whole 4 years, any time I woulf look at Trump, or hear his voice, my first reaction was always, "This can't be."

[Elessar Zappa]

13. Worst day of my life so far.

I’m lucky enough to have not had anyone close to me die yet (knock on wood) but I imagine that what I was feeling was similar. I took a few edibles, popped some oxycodone and had a couple of drinks (stupid combo, I know). It didn’t help. I was depressed for weeks afterward.

[Hekate]

14. This

[Bucky]

15. Thank you for reminding me that political PTSD is at least a trade up.

Like Donald Trump in a Russian motel, I'm grateful for the "P"