Coping with Election Stress
Election season can be an extremely difficult time for many of us. As well as electing the next president, it can also feel like a time when we are electing the values and beliefs of the country we live in. It can lead to stressful conversations, worries about the future, or just a general vague sense of malaise.
When the world feels so tense and there seem to be so many things at stake, how can we get through it? Below is a list of tips to help you manage the stress you may be feeling with the upcoming elections, no matter the election results.
1. Allow yourself to feel your feelings
Whether that’s being unabashedly sad, extremely disappointed, fearful for the future, excitement for the things to come, or any range in between, it’s okay to feel those things. The upcoming election results may have very real ramifications on your own personal life and wellbeing, and that may lead you to feel threatened, afraid, or lost. Or it could make you feel excited and happy. Those are real feelings in response to meaningful things, and it’s important to respect them. Feelings are not things that should be monitored or judged. Rather, they are a natural part of the human existence that need to be embraced.
2. Share your thoughts and feelings with those you trust
There is power in vulnerable sharing and in being validated in your experience. Identify those in your life that you believe are ‘safe people’ for you. A ‘safe person’ is someone who is not going to make you feel bad, judged, shameful, or wrong for your thoughts and feelings. A safe person does just that, create a safe emotional space for you to exist, even the deep and emotional parts of you. Once you know who those safe people are, be intentional about sharing your election stress with them. Chances are, they might be going through similar things, and you can have the opportunity to provide a safe space for them. Knowing that you are not alone in your feelings and being validated for your feelings by someone you trust can have a very powerful effect to the stress you experience.
3. Don’t catastrophize
Yes, the world can be very scary, especially in a time of political transition. But also recognize that there is a limit to what you know. We can always make educated guesses, and we can be prepared for what might come next. But none of us can predict the future with any sort of accuracy. Instead of letting yourself agonize over possible future outcomes, gently challenge yourself when you are speaking with any authority on what the future will bring. Know that you have human limitations, and there’s only so much you can accurately predict about what the world will be like a year or two from now. So if you find that you are constantly worrying about what the world will be like if XYZ happened as a result of the election, remind yourself that you are not a fortuneteller, and neither is anybody else.
4. Be conscious of information consumption
In the current stage of work/school/life from home, the internet and access to information is extremely valuable. It can help us stay connected to people, ideas, and current events. However, as with anything, too much of something can invariably lead to painful consequences. It can leave you feeling overwhelmed, powerless, and hopeless. If you are used to starting your day by scrolling through media outlets in bed, try to save that activity until you’ve taken care of your own needs to start the day. Or if you find yourself reaching for a distraction during a lull in your day, try to stay connected to what you need to do in that moment to nourish yourself. Maybe it’s a quick stretch, a walk around the block, even some water or food. Your need for distraction doesn’t have to be filled by media consumption. And maybe you can even set a daily time limit to how much you will be exposed to the internet. Enough time to help you feel informed and educated, but not enough time that you feel inundated, overwhelmed - to curb any masochistic compulsion to overindulge in something that makes you feel bad.
5. Be open to conversation
Leading up to the election and even afterwards, you might find yourself engaged in conversations about politics with someone that sees the world differently than you do. Healthy conversations with appropriate respect and boundaries can be extremely productive. It could help you see a point of view that you hadn’t considered before, and help expand your understanding in an environment that has felt painfully partisan and divided. True curiosity about someone you don’t agree with can move you from living in a divided “us vs them,” “blue vs red” world, to a world filled with individuals with differing opinions and ideals.
6. But be ready to walk away
As important as open conversations are, be alert to any signs from either yourself or the other person that such a healthy conversation might not be possible. Maybe the other person is talking over you, you are raising your voice, speech is becoming rapid, heartbeats quicken, or you feel flushed. Be aware of the warning signs that tell you that it’s not a good time to engage in such a conversation, and once you notice them, don’t be afraid to walk away. You can politely and kindly inform the other person that you do not have confidence that the conversation will be a productive one, and either offer another time to follow up, or simply end the conversation there.
7. Do what makes you feel good
If you don’t know what activities make you feel good, take the time now to figure them out. Is it a nice book, a good cup of coffee, a bubble bath? Maybe it’s playing your favorite game, playing an instrument, or physical exercise. Whatever it is, focus your attention and your cognitive resources to what makes you feel good, and do more of it. Give your mind and a body a break from the election stress, and create time and space for what fuels and nourishes your body, your mind, and your soul. Be careful, this doesn’t mean completely ignore the reality of the election and the resulting stress (remember Point 1?). Instead, rather than allowing yourself to be consumed by stress, intentionally carve out time that you know will be life-giving for you.
8. Be prepared to wait
Election results can take up to weeks to process, especially with the mail-in voting that is happening this year. The agony you experience over the uncertainty of the election results may not end on the first Tuesday of November. So be prepared for the possibility that you might need to practice patience well past Election Day.
9. Use your feelings to take action steps
Our emotions exist because they are useful to us. The feeling of hunger communicates the need for food. The feeling of disappointment communicates the loss of something important. Whatever feelings you may be experiencing due to the election, pause and notice what it’s communicating to you. Is it telling you that certain issues are very important to you? Is it showing you what values you want to hold to your identity? Once you figure out what your feelings are telling you, see if it would be possible for you to use those feelings as motivators to take action in your life. Maybe you will take action steps that will lead to micro level changes in your person life, or macro level changes in your community. It can be volunteering, reading about different topics, engaging in conversations, or organizing events. If managed well, the feelings you have about the election could be used to propel you to take steps you haven’t had the insight to tackle before.
10. Remember that life will go on
Ultimately, responding as well as we can in the situations we find ourselves in is the best that we can do. No matter what happens with the election, the world will continue, and you will continue to wake up and go through your life. As devastatingly important this election can feel, you are a resilient person capable of being adaptive, meeting new challenges, and navigating unexpected circumstances. And the world is too.
There are so many different ways your vote can be influential, don’t let yourself get weighed down by the stress of elections to lose sight of what election season can mean. It’s a chance to share your voice to shape your community for yourself, your neighbors, and your loved ones. Rather than feeling discouraged and dejected about the elections, I hope these tips can help you feel invigorated and prepared to go through this election cycle with strength and purpose.