Coping with Election Stress
Autumn can be stressful for many people due to school starting and the holidays drawing closer, but as we wind down the year and prepare for another election in 2024, you also might notice an uptick in election ads and political rhetoric on TV, news sites, and up and down your social media feeds. While some people are able to drown out the noise of elections, there are those who experience spikes of anxiety when they hear the word “vote.”
Election stress impacts more than half of Americans, and can have serious negative impacts on our daily lives, especially during this time of year when so many other responsibilities are piled on. If you feel like the upcoming elections, whether local or national, are causing you extra stress, here are some ways to cope with these feelings.
Four ways to cope with election stress
Limit your media consumption
Between the 24-hour news cycle and our relationships with our mobile devices, we tend to catch ourselves “doomscrolling”, where we binge negative story after negative story for extended periods of time. While it may seem like a harmless way to stay informed, regularly consuming so much negativity for an extended period of time can have serious adverse effects on your mental health. And when you add in election anxiety and the stakes that come with it, those feelings can be difficult to cope with.
While staying informed is critical to the democratic process, limiting your media consumption during elections can help alleviate the anxiety or stress you might be feeling. Turning off news notifications or limiting your time on news sites and apps can be a good way to prevent falling into a doomscroll spiral. A break from social media can go a long way during elections as well, as it can be very easy to slip into an unproductive discussion with a stranger.
Choose carefully with whom you engage in political discourse
Getting into political arguments with friends and family is an uncomfortable but common part of life. Not everyone is going to see the world exactly how you see it, and that’s okay. However, it can be hard to think rationally when you’re engaged in a heated discussion with an uncle or cousin who may see the world through a completely different lens than yourself.
It’s highly unlikely a single conversation will change someone else’s perspective or your own for that matter. So, instead of trying to prove your point or convert someone with staunch beliefs, try not engaging at all with those people about politics and save yourself the stress.
Practice Self-Care
When we’re dealing with circumstances that are out of our control, it can heighten our regular feelings of stress until they’re nearly impossible to deal with. During stressful events such as an election, it’s crucial we take care of ourselves as best we can, in the most effective ways we know how.
Practicing self-care can help soothe the tension and anxiety that comes with elections, but like political views, self-care doesn’t look the same for everyone. If you’re not sure what self-care looks like for you personally, you can try:
Meditating
Going for walks
Hiking
Journaling
Socializing
New hobbies
There are countless other ways to practice self-care if these aren’t right for you. As long as the activity helps alleviate your stress, self-care can be whatever you wish it to be.
Talk to a professional
If you feel like your election stress is too much to handle, working with a mental health professional can help you process your worry and develop effective coping strategies that work for you.
Therapy can help you find ways to engage with the news during election season without overwhelming yourself with election stress. The time you spend in therapy can also help put the news into perspective when you’re struggling to stay calm.
Are you dealing with election stress? You’re not alone, and working with a therapist can help. Our therapists are accepting new clients - schedule an appointment today to get started.
Blog authors all hold positions at Anchor Counseling. For more information about our therapists and services please contact us.