Conquering Election Anxiety: Anxiety Therapy During the Election Season
As an anxiety therapist in Oakland, I am noticing that collectively election anxiety is on the rise and people are really struggling with what to do with the fear and powerlessness they feel about the future.
In the final weeks leading up to the Presidential election and many other important state and local elections, many of us feel increasingly anxious and fearful about what lies ahead. The American Psychiatric Association has found that 73% of the adults surveyed feel anxious about the 2024 US elections. Globally, election anxiety related to the outcome of the US Presidential election is also on the rise. Some of us may be feeling dread and powerless over the fate of our democracy and so many other issues that affect us personally and as a society. Our collective anxiety is also about so much more than the actual outcomes of the upcoming elections. Political anxiety also has to do with the loneliness and isolation we feel within our families and communities, unease, distress, and even anger over the rolling back of protections for the LGBTQ+ community and women’s reproductive health, racialized violence, increasing intensity and frequency of climate catastrophes, gun violence, increasing costs of living, and economic inequities. We’re bombarded with fake news, propaganda, and an alarming acceptance of lying and misinformation, all while being inundated with negative messaging through social media and upsetting news about global conflicts, genocide, and violence. You are holding a LOT.
Our discomfort with the uncertainty about what will happen to our own lives can make us work hard at seeking control. Ironically, sometimes our attempts to regain a sense of control over our fears—like consuming more news or engaging in heated debates—can backfire, fueling even more exhaustion and stress about politics and the future.
How Can Election Anxiety Affect Us? An Oakland Therapist’s Perspective
Election anxiety is so understandable because elections have a real impact on your life. Your safety and stability are impacted by the outcomes, and with more divisiveness and extremism in politics, people worry about how their safety, their families, their jobs, and their rights will be affected. Chronic overwhelm and anxiety, whether from the political climate or other life events, takes a toll on mental and physical health.
Feel Your Emotions: An Anxiety Therapist's Thoughts on Anxiety and the Election
Recognizing and feeling your emotions is crucial because that is how we work through and release intense feelings. If you find yourself overwhelmed by election anxiety, it is completely understandable, given how impactful election results can be. Try to keep perspective by focusing on what really matters in your life. It could be helpful to talk to your support network or seek anxiety therapy for more support.
Know past trauma can resurface and be triggered by hearing bad news—you may or may not be aware of how distressing news stories are impacting you emotionally and physically.
Reminders of your past traumas may trigger uncomfortable physical symptoms. If this happens, a therapist can help you understand and work through what you are experiencing.
Take time for yourself. Being quiet or alone is a healthy way to cope with overload.
Journal or meditate to bring awareness to what you are feeling in the present moment. Journaling is a great tool to help you process emotions and reduce overwhelm.
Notice your triggers - stay mindful of what you are feeling and use mindfulness techniques to help ground yourself when feeling overwhelmed.
Notice negative thinking and try to find a more neutral or positive narrative.
Use positive imagery to create a mental picture of somewhere calm and serene
Visualize something better! Imagine opportunities and positive outcomes that are possible. We don’t actually know what the future holds even though we sometimes think we do with certainty.
Elections Got You Anxious? Tips From and Anxiety Therapist
Taking care of yourself is everything. Listen to your body and take care of it! Take breaks from the news cycle and communications from the political activities you are involved in. Self-care becomes even more important during stressful times. When we are chronically stressed, our stress hormone levels stay elevated longer than usual. Too much stress affects our physical health and is linked to increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attacks and strokes, weakened immune systems, and diminished brain function.
Take care of your body: eat, sleep, exercise, and engage in spiritual practices. Anxiety can negatively affect how much or how well you sleep, and less sleep generally makes you more anxious. Too much stress also negatively affects our physical health and mental functioning. Work hard to find ways to get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and incorporate more movement into your days. Moderate physical exercise helps burn off those pesky stress hormones that want to stick around.
Make that doctor’s appointment you have been putting off, splurge on a gym or yoga membership, take a walk or dance, listen to music, get out into nature and take in the beauty of your surroundings, the warm sunlight and fresh air. Spend time with friends and family doing what you enjoy.
Anxiety Therapy During Election Season
Mindfulness can reduce stress and ground you when you begin to feel overwhelmed by helping you stay in the present. This is powerful because it reconnects you to your physical body. It also helps you become aware of and curious about about your negative thought patterns. This help you be able to reframe worry thoughts that make you anxious.
Practice gratitude for what is going well in your and others’ lives. Ask yourself to notice all that is good around you.
Practice self-compassion - Be kind to yourself. You’re doing the best you can, and judging yourself doesn’t make you better. Work hard to acknowledge your worth as a human being.
Do a body scan - Take 1-2 minutes to check in with your body and notice the feelings and sensations that arise.
Develop a meditation practice - Meditation can be very effective in reducing anxiety, but remember it is a practice, and it can take time to see the benefits. Diaphragmatic breathing—practice breath work. Deep breathing can calm your nervous system instantly.
Yoga and gentle stretching can refocus your mind and help you connect your mind, body, and spirit in the present moment.
Try to slow. down. - This could look like physically moving slower or working to focus on only one activity at a time without other sensory input. Mindful eating or paying attention to your experience of eating without being in front of a screen and going on a walk without your phone are examples of this.
Focus on What You Can Control: An Anxiety Therapist’s Thoughts
Feelings of depression and anxiety during election season stem from feeling powerless or that you cannot control the situation. You may genuinely care about various issues and feel pressure to stay informed, but trying to keep on top of everything isn’t sustainable and creates a lot of stress. It’s critical to understand what you can and cannot control. You may also feel pulled to engage in political discussions or debates with those around you, especially when the stakes feel so high, but often times these interactions leave you feeling even more drained.
Identify what you can control and take positive steps can combat negative feelings and reduce your anxiety. Engage locally if and when you can, and most importantly, channel your time, energy, and effort into positivity. Identify the issues that matter most to you and direct your attention toward key topics of interest. Focusing on fewer, more important issues can anchor you and prevent you from getting lost and overwhelmed in the deluge of accessible information.
Vote! The physical act of voting and being an active participant in our democracy can be empowering. It also fosters a greater connection to your community and creates a sense of belonging. Volunteer—there are many doable ways to take action. Consider volunteering for candidates you support or attending peaceful rallies, marches, or protests in support of causes you care about.
Give your time or money to the causes that matter to you. Taking positive action does not have to be political in nature. Make room to work on something creative, take time to learn something new, read a book, or do something kind for your neighbor or someone you care about. Treat yourself to something that nourishes you—perhaps something you’ve been needing or wanting but haven’t prioritized or allowed yourself to have. Go out with friends or enjoy a good meal.
Make a positive impact by engaging in uplifting activities both political and otherwise. Maintaining a positive mindset and holding a balanced perspective and counteract negativity you experience around politics and can you a sense of control.
Connect to to like-minded community and the people in your life who can offer you real support.
Anxiety Therapy and the Election
If you are struggling to manage feelings of anxiety related to the upcoming elections, and your usual coping skills aren’t working, anxiety therapy could help. I’m therapist in Oakland and I work with with anxiety, mixed race issues and trauma. Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation find new ways to manage intense emotions and ground yourself in the midst of such uneasy political times.
