Lifeline Connections

Manage Election Day Stress

How do you manage Election Day stress?

It can be hard to manage Election Day stress. Did you know that stress causes anxiety and is the most common mental health condition in the US? Over 40 million people over the age of 18 are managing anxiety. That’s over 19% of the total population.

These numbers are without factors like the upcoming 2024 Election Day. According to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association, nearly 70% of respondents said the election is a significant source of stress.

How to you manage your anxiety in times of uncertainty?

What if you’ve never experienced anxiety until this past year and don’t have a therapist you can call over the phone?

Here are seven realistic coping skills to practice each day but especially to help manage Election Day stress.

Replace social media and news with something healthy

• • No matter what happens in the end, the results may be delayed and scrolling through what may be negative posts or uncertain headlines, read a book and wait a few days to return to it.
  • During Election Day, you may hear a lot of “I heard…” or “Someone said….” Then it’s likely not true. If you spend energy on rumors or untruths it can really heighten your anxiety and drain you emotionally.

Talk through any worries with someone you trust

• • Once you’ve said and worked through your worries out loud it is easier to let them go.

Limit your exposure to news and social media

• • Purposefully seek the information you want from a trusted source then disengage, instead of having the news channels on or scrolling through social media. Without an election, the news can already cause people anxiety and worries about things that are out of their control.

Take care of yourself each day

• • Read a book, write in a journal or exercise. It’s important that you have some type of activity that is just for you. It will refill the energy that is taken away.

Take it one day at a time

• • Don’t allow yourself to play the “what-if” game about the future and do your best to live in the moment each day.

Find gratitude every day

• • Upon waking before you get out of bed, find three things you are grateful for, focusing on each thing for a few minutes. This helps set the tone of your day.

Focus on what you can control

• You can’t control other people’s reactions, social media posts or what the news commentators say about anything related to Election Day.
  • What you CAN control:
    • What you choose to pay attention to
    • How you react to the world around you
    • What you do each day
    • Who you spend your time with
    • Who and what you spend your energy on
    • The items in your social media feed

Even if you’ve never experienced a mental health disorder before, practicing these steps each day will help you begin to cope.

What if you need more support to handle Election Day stress?

Lifeline Connections is committed to long-term mental wellness for our patients. We offer an integrated, holistic approach that includes therapy and case management. Our doctors specialize in the treatment of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, working to solve ones that have a compounding effect. Contact us and reclaim your life.

Contact a doctor for a referral or find a therapist. They can work to design a custom plan for wellness. Secure treatment is over the phone or computer with telehealth, providing coping skills for grief, loss, depression and anxiety. They will work with you one-on-one to get you feeling better.

Sources:

NAMI