12 Ways to Manage Election Stress and Anxiety

Look heavenward and speak the word aloud. Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud. Peace. - Maya Angelou

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We are in a time of ideological polarization, great divide, chronic uncertainty, and global conflict. Regardless of our political leanings, it's completely normal and understandable to have anxiety about the U.S. presidential election and the unknowns of the future.

School-aged kids, adolescents, and young adults are likely experiencing fears and anxieties as well—based on our responses as parents, teachers, leaders in their schools and communities; what they are reading on their social media feeds; and what they are learning and hearing about in class and from their friends and their families.

In my more than 25 years of clinical practice, I have seen that election stress can trigger and cause:

• Anxiety symptoms (rumination, panic and overwhelm)
• OCD symptoms, eating disorders, and impulsive/compulsive spending (in an attempt to regain a sense of control)
• Depressive symptoms such as low mood, apathy, irritability, agitation, feelings of hopelessness, etc.
• Relationship conflict (at home, at work and online)
• Physical illness (such as migraines, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, muscle tension and more)
• Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, insomnia, or hypersomnia)
• Appetite disturbance (overeating, under eating and eating disordered behaviors)
• Substance misuse (self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, and even food or sugar)
• Too much escapism, which can decrease functioning and productivity (playing video games, binging on television shows, keeping your nose in romance novels and the like–all in an attempt to avoid reality)
• Academic or job performance problems.

Here are some simple practices people can use at any age to cope with such normal feelings of worry:

1. Limit your access to the news to just enough to be informed and not overwhelmed. Check the news in the morning (but not right when you awake) and again in the evening (but not too close to bedtime). Shut off your notifications and avoid having the news on the TV or radio during the day. Be mindful of the information your children and adolescents have access to.
2. Practice mindfulness on a daily basis. Breathe, meditate, pray (which is a form of meditation), and/or incorporate a simple yoga routine (which is meditation with movement) into your day, preferably first thing in the morning. Mindfulness will help you and your loved ones access the peace of the present moment and avoid worrying about the future.
3. Have a growth mindset and view challenges as opportunities to learn, grow, and foster resilience. Understand that for each of us personally, as well as the global communities, challenges are opportunities for learning and positive development. When talking with kids, give age-appropriate examples to point out how challenges can lead to learning over time.
4. Take responsibility for what you can control. We can control our own thoughts, how we handle our emotions, our behaviors, and the decisions and choices we make. Encourage yourself and your loved ones to take action and advocate for what they believe in, including volunteering, donating, voting, and more.
5. Surrender what you can not control. We can not control other people's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and choices—nor can we control the weather or global dynamics. Use mindfulness and spiritual practices to release and let go of all that you can’t control and teach your kids to do the same.
6. Practice CBT thought-stopping. Whenever your mind goes to election fears say, “Stop!” to yourself, and shift your attention to a gratitude practice, giving thanks for all that is well in the here and now. Teach your loved ones to do the same.
7. Utilize the power of mantra. Whenever you experience catastrophic and worst-case-scenario thoughts, recite soothing mantras to yourself such as “And this, too, shall pass.”
8. Increase your self-care. Unplug from technology and connect with nature. Promote exercise, hobbies and play. Prioritize healthy rest, proper nutrition, moderation of substance use, and hydration. Here's a tool to assess and improve your self-care practices.
9. Encourage problem-free talk, a CBT technique, including election-free talk.
10. Practice healthy detachment and unhook from conflict around politics. Detachment is a mindfulness strategy for cultivating healthy separation from our own negative emotions as well as those of others. We also learn that we need to avoid pinning our happiness to expectation and outcome, as it may set us up for disappointment. Detachment doesn’t mean denial or not caring. It is a practice of healthy compartmentalization so that we can continue to function, personally and professionally.
11. Access support. Learn ways to receive more support.Seek help and support from those who quell your stress and anxiety rather than provoke it. Seek personal therapy.
12. Practice self-compassion and empathy and compassion for others. Remember to cut yourself some slack and extend the same grace to others. Our beliefs and feelings are a normal response to our nature, nurture and life experience. Model compassion for your children and teach them to practice empathy.

Practice these strategies and keep putting one foot in front of the other, remembering the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it's not fine, it's not the end.”