by Dr. Drew Myers, MD on October 16, 2024
A recent poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that 73% of Americans are feeling anxious about the upcoming election. Political stress is non-partisan and can affect everyone, largely because we all care about the futures of ourselves, our families, and our communities. For many people, election stress is marked by fear for the future, lack of focus, increased anxiety, fatigue, poor sleep, and low mood. However, the emotions can be more extreme, such as despair, outrage, and disgust. All of these feelings are valid, though they can have a significant impact on our lives.
Stress is our reaction to the external environment. As stress becomes chronic, this can become anxiety. Chronic stress leads to elevated levels of “stress hormones”, such as cortisol and epinephrine. Increased levels of cortisol leads to increased blood sugar, suppressed immune system, and constriction of the blood vessels. Chronically elevated epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Broadly, stress about the upcoming election boils down to uncertainty and a fear of the unknown. In an attempt to seek control over the situation, we sometimes find ourselves trying to be the most informed about political issues or convincing others to vote a certain way. This can look like frequently watching the news and scrolling social media platforms. It can also lead to resentment within our closest relationships.
One of the best ways to manage election stress is to limit your consumption of news and media. Some recommendations include taking a break from social media, setting a timer to limit the time spent reading or watching the news, and turning off notifications from media sources. Be mindful of news outlets that are particularly more stressful and consider avoiding those. Speaking of the news, it can be more stressful to watch the news, so reading the news is advisable.
When it comes to relationships with others who do not share your opinions or values, there are important things to remember before entering a political conversation. First of all, what are your goals for the political conversation, and is it a reasonable use of your energy to have the conversation? You have the right to avoid events or conversations that you suspect will be triggering. Some respectful ways to bow out of conversations include, “I hear that we both have a lot of reasons to think the way that we do” or “I respect your opinion, but I’m just not in the right space to talk about this.” When you do enter these conversations, we want to stay curious, not combative, and we can do so by emphasizing values as opposed to a political affiliation or candidate.
It can be easy to begin to ruminate on the things that we cannot control, but the reality is that we can only control ourselves. Rather than focusing on the things that we cannot control, it can be helpful to look at the things that we can control, like our routines, hobbies, and relationships. We can also control the positive difference that we make in support of the issues that matter to us. This can be done through volunteering with organizations, sharing information with others, and of course, exercising our right to vote.
Lastly, though election season brings about its own flavor of stress, we always want to remember the basic tenets of self care. These include regular exercise, nutritious meals, connection with others, meaningful activities, time spent outside, and mindfulness. If you find that you need additional support during this time, please reach out to your mental health provider.
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