As a therapist, I have been seeing an increase in anxiety and stress due to the election season. With election day coming up, a lot of people are feeling scared, hopeless, nervous, angry, confused, and are experiencing relationship issues with others who oppose their views. All of these feelings are very normal and valid to have right now. If you are experiencing anxiety or stress due to the election, below are some tips to take that could help you get through each day. These tips are not meant to replace your need to take action during this time or to blind you from what is happening in our political climate right now. The goal here is to create awareness if are feeling overwhelmed and to take some time to better your mental health along the way.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.
Limit your news intake
There is so much breaking news happening constantly during this election season. With COVID-19, protests, and now the election coming up, there is so much news to go around. It may seem like a good idea to always stay informed, but at some point you get burnt out from the ongoing news cycle. The news is meant to keep you engaged in what they have to say. At this point, a lot of the breaking news stories are all saying similar things. It’s good to be informed as to what’s happening in our country, but you also want to take care of your mental health around it as well. You shouldn’t be watching the news throughout your day. It is helpful to pick one time each day to check-in with a news source that you know and trust. This will help create a boundary for you so that you can balance the news you consume and focus on the life around you.
Limit/Filter Social Media Content
This is similar to the first tip in which you want to limit the amount of news you see on your social media. With your social media accounts, you can actually control who you follow and ideally what news you consume. If you follow accounts that cause you to feel anxious then it may be best to unfollow them. You can always view what these accounts have to say in your own time. When you are in the right head space to consume the content, you can go directly to that person’s account and read what they have to say. It is worse to take a break from work or school to scroll through Twitter and have a lot of political content take over your thoughts. Your break then turns into something that is no longer relaxing. You can also track the amount of time that you’re spending on each App on your phone. You may want to create a time limit for yourself on your social media so that it is not something that you are consuming all day every day. You may feel that by unfollowing an account or not checking your social media, you may be out of the loop as to what is happening in the world. But if you check your social media at a specific time each day then you will not miss anything. If there’s anything seriously urgent then the news will still find its way to you. I also highly recommend turning off push notifications since this is the worst way for news to disrupt your day at an unwanted time.
3. Skip The Debates
You may find the debates entertaining or terrifying. If you know who you are going to vote for, or if you already voted, then you do not need to watch the debates. If you are unsure of who you are going to vote for then you can search each nominee’s political views online through reputable sources. This will give you the safe amount of space and time to read about everyone’s views in your own way. The first presidential debate caused a lot of people stress and anxiety. There were no clear answers and it stirred up a lot of anger for viewers. For people who are already feeling anxious, the debates have increased those feelings of anxiety. If you are a person who has a history of trauma or abuse and/or if you are BIPOC then you may find these debates overwhelming to watch. If you do decide to watch a debate and you recognize that you are starting to feel anxious then I recommend turning it off.
4. Practice Self-Care
This may seem like an obvious one, but it is extremely important to make sure you’re taking care of yourself during this stressful time. If you do not take care of yourself then you won’t be able to help others around you. Throughout this election season, you should be checking in with yourself at least once a day to see how you are doing. Check in with how you are feeling both mentally and physically.
Some mental health anxiety signs to look out for are:
Excessive and irrational fear or worry
Overthinking and focusing on worst-case scenarios
Feelings of apprehension
Trouble with concentration or your mind “going blank”
Feeling tense
Irritability
Worry that you or loved ones are in danger
Restlessness or difficulty relaxing
Indecisiveness and self-doubt when making decisions
Intrusive and uncontrollable negative thoughts
Feeling stressed
Some physical anxiety signs to look out for are:
Fatigue
Insomnia
Muscle Tension
Sweating
Shaking or trembling
Stomach Upset
Heart racing
Headaches
Shortness of breath
If you are feeling these symptoms then you want to increase your self-care. Take some time out of your day to exercise, meditate, enjoy a hobby, or see a professional therapist.
5. Talk To Your Supports
This is a time that it would probably be helpful to talk about what is going on around you with like-minded people. When something that impacts you this much happens, you need time to process it. One of the best ways to process something is to talk it through with others. It may not be the best time to lean on supports who have different political beliefs as you during this time. You will not feel comfortable talking as openly as you would like to process what is going on. Or you may be open with your thoughts and this could cause a problem in your relationship. You want to talk to people who will be supportive and empathetic towards you. If you find yourself talking to someone with opposing political beliefs and/or if the conversation is making you feel worse or drained then I recommend leaving the conversation. If you feel you are not able to openly discuss how you feel about the political climate then seeking a therapist is a great option. A therapist is always non-judgmental and can help you sort through your thoughts in a safe space.
6. Take Action
A common feeling that has come up for a lot of people during this election season is helplessness. One way to feel in control and that you are making more of a difference is to do an actionable step that could help. You can send letters or postcards to voters who are registered and did not vote in the previous election (there are programs that you can look up online to find out more info on how to do this). You can also send letters or postcards to unregistered or first-time voters to influence them to make their voice heard by voting. In your community, you can volunteer to participate in a text or phone call bank. Within your family and friends, you can remind them to register to vote by the deadline and encourage them to vote. If you feel safe, you can volunteer to help out at the polls on election day and/or encourage others to do so. There are a lot of ways that you can take actionable steps during this election season. By taking action you may feel a little more in control. This can decrease your feelings of helplessness, anxiety, and stress.
7. Create A Plan
This is another tip that can help decrease the feeling of helplessness. Create your plan now to vote if you have not done so already. Make sure you know your state’s voter registration deadline and register to vote before then. Create a plan to vote by mail, drop off a mailed in vote to a local secure box, or plan to vote in person early or on election day. It is best to vote early if you can do so. On election night, think about who you want to surround yourself with and who you want to talk to. Anticipate that it is possible that we won’t find out who wins on election night. Create a plan for what to do and who to talk to for support if the election results are not what you hoped for. By having these plans in place now, it will help you feel more in control over the situation. This will help increase your resilience in times of stress. You can also find a therapist to connect with before election night so that you have extra support during this stressful time.
Courtney Glashow, LCSW
is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Hoboken, New Jersey. She specializes in helping teens and adults with anxiety, depression, and life transitions through counseling. Courtney can help NY or NJ residents through telehealth (video/phone) therapy sessions as well.
