How To Manage Election Stress & Support Your Mental Health
Managing stress can be difficult at any time, but during a presidential election, it can become even harder. As the 2024 U.S. election season comes to an end, it can be important to take steps to protect your mental health.
From practicing self-care to watching your media consumption, the strategies in this article may help you keep your stress levels to a minimum—following this election season and beyond.
Election stress & its impact on mental health
As humans, we tend to be fearful of the unknown. Whether it’s waiting on a text back from your partner or not knowing if you got that job, it can be distressing to not have a clear idea of how things will turn out.
How to manage election stress to avoid side effects
While uncertainty-related stress may have helped keep early humans safe from predators, the anticipation of an election can have a negative impact on our well-being. Side effects of election-related stress may include:
- Trouble sleeping
- Conflicts with family, friends, or coworkers
- Changes in eating patterns
- Mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
Beyond these effects, election stress may even negatively impact our physical health. The physical effects of stress can range from muscle aches to digestive issues, immune system changes, and more. Election-related stress, sometimes referred to as election stress disorder, may even affect the heart. In a 2021 study, researchers analyzed the health records and data of over 2,000 people with cardiac implants during the 2016 election season. They found that there was a 77% increase in abnormal heart rhythms leading up to, and after, the election.
How to manage election stress: Limiting news and social media consumption
Reading about the negative side effects of stress may be upsetting, especially if you’re already feeling some anxiety about the recent election. But there are several steps you can take to cope with election stress and preserve your mental health. These include:
Being mindful of news and social media coverage
It can be easy to get sucked into 24-hour election coverage from political news and social media outlets. While this may help you stay informed, boundaries can also be important. You may find it useful to limit screen time to 10- to 30-minute intervals on election-related media consumption. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the news sources, try taking a step back from screens to go for a walk, do some cleaning, or read a book.
It can also help to remind yourself that if something big happens, you’ll likely hear about it one way or another, even if you’re not glued to the TV.
Taking care of yourself and your mental health
When uncertainty strikes, it can be easy to neglect your well-being, especially when you’re highly invested in how things will turn out. But coming down from stress can be a lot harder when you aren’t taking care of your body. For this reason, it may be important to take steps to stay well.
The following self-care tips may help get you started:
Stay active to reduce anxiety
Physical exercise can do more than just take your mind off politics. It can also trigger the release of endorphins, the brain’s natural feel-good chemicals, and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Look for ways to sprinkle exercise into your day, even if it’s just taking a brisk walk or doing a few jumping jacks.
Eat well
Stress can cause people to crave foods high in sugar and saturated fat, but these may end up making you feel worse. Instead, aim to eat a diet rich in protein, healthy carbs and fats, and fiber. You may also want to limit your intake of caffeine, which can sometimes worsen stress and anxiety symptoms.
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness and breathwork may help you reconnect with your body when your mind is racing. Consider setting aside five minutes each day to quietly observe your thoughts, without judging them or attaching meaning to them. If this isn’t possible, even just taking a few deep breaths may help you get back in touch with the present moment. It's also important to stay mindful of the effects that stress and constant exposure to election coverage have on your mental health.
Turn to your hobbies for stress and anxiety reduction
Focusing on activities to spend time on that bring you joy can be a constructive way to distract yourself when politics are causing you stress. Finding a creative outlet may also be useful. Journaling, drawing, painting, or collage can serve as healthy ways to express your frustrations and worries.
How to manage election stress & anxiety: Stress management techniques
Connecting with others can be a helpful way to reduce stress, both during the build-up to the elections and the elections themselves. Try to stay engaged in your regular social activities and look for ways to stay connected to your friends, a family member, and loved ones. Being around supportive people on election night and in the days following may also help you avoid unproductive conversations and provide emotional support. It may remind you to separate people from their political opinions and maintain your social bonds.
How to manage election stress with online therapy
If election-related stress is causing you physical or mental health concerns, therapy may also be worth considering. Treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may be helpful for building a healthier relationship with your thoughts and feelings during the lead-up to the elections.
Given the nonstop exposure to election-related news and commentary, it can be understandable to want more support than you can get in a single in-person therapy session. Online therapy may be a useful alternative. Platforms like BetterHelp let you contact your therapist at any time using in-app messaging, and they will respond as soon as they can, which may be helpful during stressful moments.
Studies have found that online therapy is an effective treatment for stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns that may arise during election season. In a 2022 review, researchers analyzed 13 previous studies of internet-based CBT, concluding that it effectively reduced symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.
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