Election Anxiety

September 15th, 2020

Have you given much
thought to the upcoming election? Many people on both sides of the political
aisle have. Plenty want the current administration to remain for another 4
years while just the same amount of people are geared up towards change. Regardless of where one
stands, one thing is for certain: people have always worried about politics,
voting, and elections. It comes as no surprise if these events bring about
feelings of uncertainty, angst, and anxiety. A survey found that 52 percent of Americans said the election “is a very or
somewhat significant” source of stress in their lives, as conducted by the
American Psychological Association in 2016. These feelings have recently been
termed “Election Stress Disorder,” and are felt equally by people from both
sides.

With
2020 specifically, tensions are already high from the coronavirus outbreak and
the plummeting stock market, making the election just another stress in
people’s lives. A recent survey found that 47 percent of workers are distracted
from their jobs by the upcoming election, according to Gartner. Further, 38
percent said they’ve avoided talking to colleagues because of their political
views and 33 percent have begun getting their political news at work.

As with
many anxieties, there are also numerous ways to cope. If you are experiencing
this kind of stress, below are some ideas to help you during this time.

For
starters, many of us may start to forego our normal routines when we obsess
during election times. However, it is still quite important to keep good habits
of eating well, exercising, and sleeping enough. In addition, it can really
make a difference if you surround yourself with people who aren’t so concerned
about the election. This way, your anxieties are not aggravated by the stress
and anxiety of others. Likewise, it would also be in your best interest to
avoid people who are overly opinionated or trying to impose and project their
agenda onto you. Politely avoiding such crowds or saying “I’m not interested in
discussing this” should be your best measures if you know having these
conversations will only further your stress.

The next major way you can deal with election anxiety is to effectively manage your
daily sources of information concerning politics. If you get your news from
television, try to keep it to a minimum— say, 15 to 30 minutes. One source to
definitely avoid or keep to an even smaller minimum than TV would be social
media, specifically Facebook and Twitter. These two platforms are notorious for
having attack ads, sensationalized posts, and of course, fake news. It may just
be in your best interest to go off the grid for a bit. A final strategy to get
a good handle on your information sources is to, as previously mentioned,
refrain from engaging with overly opinionated people. Other people are often
the greatest exacerbators of anxieties, with political anxiety being no
exception.

Another
strategy to quell general political anxiety is to break free from your normal
surroundings and distract yourself with pleasant experiences. This could take
the form of going out in nature, such as going on a hike or taking your dog for
a walk through the neighborhood. Even if you’re not an outdoors enthusiast, you
could just as easily derive the same pleasure from watching animal or nature
videos. Other great distractions could be to watch comedy movies or pick up a
new hobby that works your brain, such as learning a new language or developing
a new skill.

While
the negativity in politics and American history is rampant, there still are
plenty of transformative moments to celebrate and revel in. This year we are
celebrating 100 years since women were granted voting rights. Furthermore, our
population is as diverse as ever, and the medical field has made so many
advances in improving the quality of life we have. In terms of the political
process, American elections and campaigns give constituents ample opportunity
to express their beliefs and change their communities the way they see fit.

The
most counterproductive way of handling a future task is outright avoidance. For
a lot of people with anxiety concerning certain events, projects, etc, a solid
way to handle these stresses is to just go through with it. In our case, this
means voting as soon as you possibly can. Once you’ve cast your vote, there
won’t be anything left to do on your end, and it’ll be out of your control from
then on. Afterward, you’ll feel empowered from doing your part and will have
that task completed on your mental checklist. Acknowledging what you have
control over and what is out of your hands helps to reframe your election
anxiety.

Some
final advice is to take a step back, ground your perspective, and look to
surround yourself in positivity. Keep taking care of yourself and family, don’t
do anything rash in your anticipation, and find time for relaxation and
mindfulness.