Suffering from election anxiety? Here’s how experts say you can cope with the stress
While Americans are already beset with anxiety brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s something else that is weighing heavily on their minds as well: the 2020 presidential election.
According to the American Psychological Association, a significant number of people are suffering from what’s known as “election anxiety” during this election. While stress was rampant during the 2016 showdown between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, it’s at an all-time high during this year’s race between Trump and Joe Biden.
“More than two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) say that the 2020 U.S. presidential election is a significant source of stress in their life, a large increase from the 2016 presidential election when 52% said the same,” the association said, based on a Harris poll.
“The survey also found that regardless of political affiliation, majorities say that the election is a significant source of stress (76% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans and 64% of Independents).”
Therapist and author Steven Stosny calls the particular type of anxiety “election stress disorder”, on NBC’s Better by Today. The disorder can takeover “the rational adult brain by the emotional toddler brain, which is highly susceptible to emotional contagion; toddlers take on whatever negative emotions around them any parent who has been tense or irritable near one can attest,” Today says.
So how are people dealing with the added stress of worrying about the outcome of the Nov. 3 election?
Cut back on the news
Dr. Allison Chase, the director for Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center Regional Center in Austin says that limiting news intake — whether it’s watching a 24-hours news network or reading it online — can help calm your anxieties.
“It is really imperative to try to put a time limit or containment on how much news you take in,” Chase said to KXAN. “Whether you have to set a timer for yourself, whether you have to have somebody be your accountability buddy to turn it off, something needs to happen so that you don’t end up getting too caught up in the cycle. It’s really important to try to stay as present as one can, and again that’s where we hear so much about mindfulness, and the use of strategies in which to keep our bodies physiologically more relaxed and contained.”
Break away from social media
Just like dialing back on the news, the same approach applies tosocial media, professional counselor Teralyn Sell tells Today.
“Thankfully we have a lot of control over the information that we fuel our brains with,” Sell said. “Around this time, our news feeds are filled with controversial posts and a ton of negativity. Taking a social media break whether it’s just unfollowing negative news feeds (or people) or even disabling your accounts for a while can be a healthy way to bring focus back into your life.”
Do something else
Sell suggests trying something new to clear your thoughts about the election, something that is euphoric and relaxing.
“This is a great opportunity to join a class or see a show,” Sell tells Today. “This will allow your brain to take a break from politics and stress and focus on something more positive even if it’s only for an hour or two a week.”
Prepare yourself mentally
NPR suggests that people start to prepare themselves mentally for delayed results on election night — which could mean anything from a couple days to a couple weeks.
“The reason that’s important is mentally, if we’re expecting a clear answer and we don’t have it, that just extends the uncertainty for us,” Lynn Bufka, a psychologist with the American Psychological Association, tells NPR.
Hope is on the horizon
Despite the gloom and doom of some studies, NPR says that a majority of Americans do feel hopeful. Gene TousSaint, a member of the Fairfax County Republican Committee, told NPR that last Thursday’s debate was a sign of hope for him.
“I think [Thursday’s] debate was very civil. It wasn’t ugly, and sometimes during the discourse, you could see these two leaders were actually communicating with each other,” he said to NPR. “ The civility between those two leaders [Thursday] gives me hope.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Suffering from election anxiety? Here’s how experts say you can cope with the stress."