With Election Day around the corner and the barrage of political information circulating, you may be feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Know that this isn’t an uncommon feeling and that you aren’t alone as many people are feeling uneasy with the current political climate. To best cope with these feelings of uncertainty, it can help to equip yourself with strategies that can help you cope with the election stress. Many people may not realize this but election stress is quite common, especially in the politically volatile climate that exists today. Election stress is a form of anxiety that arises from the anticipation and uncertainty of not knowing the outcome. This anxiety is fueled by the constant media coverage and ongoing discussions among friends and family. This stress can be challenging to identify as it may manifest in various ways, such as sleeplessness, irritability or difficulty concentrating. To help relieve election stress, we recommend you equip yourself with coping tools that will help minimize stressors.
Coping Tools for Election Stress
Manage Your Media Consumption
While it is important to stay informed, a constant diet of election coverage can be overwhelming. To avoid over saturating yourself with election news, it can be helpful to set specific times to stay informed, whether through watching, reading or listening to news. Be sure to include other programming as well. As always, avoid watching any type of news right before bed to ensure a good night’s rest.
Practice Mindfulness
Taking mindful breaks—moments to slow down your breath, center yourself, meditate or intentionally take in your surroundings—can help to calm your mind and manage anxiety. Even doing a few yoga moves can be beneficial. If you have trouble setting time aside to practice mindfulness based activities or prefer a guided approach, you may want to try meditation apps such as Calm or Headspace.
Play and Stay Active
We all know that movement and exercise are proven to be a stress reliever. Keep movement in your day, whether you walk, dance, run, bike or take a trip to the gym. Physical activity helps us release tension and improves our mood and focus. If movement isn’t your thing, lose yourself in something else, be it a puzzle, an art project, music and the arts, knitting, even your organizing or cleaning routine.
Surround Yourself with Supportive People
Discussing feelings with trusted supports. It can be helpful in processing of emotions.
Focus on What You Can Control
Elections can make us feel powerless. Focus on what can be controlled, which may include volunteering or participating in political activities within your community. Never underestimate the “ripple effect” of your influence. Making a difference in one person’s life can have an ongoing ripple effect.
Preparing for Election Results
If you are experiencing election stress, it is important to emotionally prepare as we inch closer and closer to Election Day. Election outcomes can have significant emotional impact, especially if results don’t align with your hopes, beliefs and expectations. To prepare, follow these tips.
Allow Yourself to Feel Your Emotions
Whether it be disappointment, relief, happiness or anger, it is natural to feel a range of emotions following an election. Allow yourself to experience these feelings without judgment. Give them space. No feeling stays forever. Allow them to pass through. Like quick sand, fighting or trying to control them leads to the opposite of your goal with them.
Make a Difference
Channel your emotions and engage in positive actions such as advocating for a cause you care about, participating in community service or supporting organizations that share your values. Sense of accomplishment and mastery is an important tool any day and certainly when navigating uncertainty and stress. It fortifies our resilience, sense of satisfaction and peace.
Plan Ahead
None of us have a crystal ball, nor do we need to spend excessive amount of time trying to predict the future. However, there is nothing wrong with considering various outcomes of the upcoming election, how you may react to each result and how you would want to navigate it and your self care. Coping strategies may include setting aside specific time for yourself, meeting with a therapist or engaging with activities and people who bring you joy and comfort.
Stay Grounded
Whenever you feel overwhelmed, see if you can refocus on the here and now. Nobody climbs a mountain without taking one step at the time. You can reflect on difficult or long journeys you have succeeded with before. They too happened one step at the time. Drop into your senses and one task at the time.
Seek Professional Help
And, as always, when it all feels like too much, if you are struggling, reach out! We are happy to share strategies tailored to your needs. Schedule with one of our Lotus Consulting therapists here in Ann Arbor, MI or reach our counselors virtually from anywhere in the state of Michigan. Contact us today to get an appointment.