Are you feeling stressed about the election? Here’s what some do and what they think you can do too

If the high-stakes presidential election brings up troubling thoughts, existential fears, or arguments with loved ones, there’s no reason to ignore it.

Take a deep breath. Literally.

Meditation and mindfulness teacher Rosie Acosta says focusing on each inhale and exhale can help regain that grounding sense of control that may be drowned out by the increasing uncertainty of election season. Experts like Acosta, who works for Headspace, a mental health company and app, in Southern California, want those struggling to know that there are ways to ease election-related stress and manage related tensions.

“I can control how I breathe. … I can use my mindfulness practice and stay in the present moment rather than worrying about how an election will turn out,” said Acosta, who contributed the guided meditations “Surviving Dinner Table Debates” and “Compassion During Campaign Season” to Headspace collection “Politics without panic”.

“You forget how much power we actually have over this tension and this fear.”

This year’s election campaign has already seen unexpected twists and turns with President Joe Biden’s exit from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris’ rapid rise among Democrats, as well as assassination attempts against the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.

And about three in four American adults believe the upcoming presidential election is critical to the future of U.S. democracy. But which candidate they think poses the greater threat depends on their political leanings, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs research.

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Be mindful and set boundaries

Acosta recalled how political divisions seeped into a Christmas family gathering in 2016, turning an occasion for joy, connection and nostalgia into “ground for verbal warfare.”

In dealing with the aftermath, she said she learned to set boundaries in her relationship with a relative and focus on things that brought them together rather than tearing them apart. This could mean saying, “‘We’re not talking about it right now; “Let’s talk about something else,” she said, backing away from an unhelpful conversation, ignoring a political meme sent, or bringing up a shared memory rather than discussing the latest news.

“Mindfulness and meditation really help us reframe our relationships — our relationships in general, but especially our relationship with our thoughts,” she said.

Headspace has also partnered with When We all Vote, a national bipartisan voting initiative launched by former first lady Michelle Obama, to provide voters with some free resources to ease election season anxiety. There’s a stress quiz to find out whether you’re “the collected voter”, “the overwhelmed optimist”, “the tired worrier” or “the politically panicked one”. The partnership also includes a vote registration portal.

“The goal is really to reach people regardless of their political affiliation or views,” said Christine Evans, president of Headspace. “No matter who you are, you deserve mental health and support when you need it.”

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Skills to disagree better

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien often sees some people get particularly nervous around Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving is about people you love but may not always see,” she said. “I hear people say, ‘Oh, my relatives in Texas think I’ve gone crazy, that they don’t want to talk to me,’ or ‘My sister-in-law and I don’t talk,’ and that’s just the way it is,” the political polarization that emerged in between.”

One suggestion, she said, is to avoid having these conversations at the dinner table and instead opt for one-on-one conversations.

O’Brien is no stranger to being in a room with people with different ideologies.

She lives in Oregon and is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Woodburn and Aurora Presbyterian Church, with small congregations that include conservatives and progressives.

She is also a national debate chair and workshop facilitator at Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization that does depolarization work. The workshops she facilitates include teaching skills to better disagree.

“We don’t try to reconcile differences. We teach skills to highlight differences in a responsible, loving and caring way,” she said.

The goals include creating a better understanding of the values ​​and concerns of those who disagree politically. Workshop participants will be taught to listen carefully, acknowledge each other’s opinions before sharing their own, turn around to signal that they want to share their opinion, and share perspectives, for example by sharing a personal story behind their point of view or tell the source of information for their position.

You are instructed to let go of the expectation of convincing others that they are wrong.

“Our democracy requires that we talk about disagreements, not just yell at each other,” O’Brien said.

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Normalize the experience and practice self-care

Dr. Petros Levounis, professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said, “People who are particularly worried about the election should be assured that they are not alone.”

He emphasized the importance of taking care of physical health, getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising regularly. While such practices may sound “a little mundane,” they are so central to our well-being, he said.

Also take time to relax and “maybe do some breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness; These are things that people have found very helpful.”

Levounis warned against relying on alcohol to calm nerves, saying it “inevitably increases anxiety in the long run, and I’m not talking about months and years.”…A few hours after heavy drinking, anxiety increases .”

In cases where anxiety becomes debilitating and affects work or home life, he recommends speaking to a psychologist or family doctor.

Take action and be mindful of news intake and social media use

Some universities also provide students with resources to help them cope with election stress.

“We definitely have some students who really think a lot about politics and are aware of how it affects them,” said Shauna Olson Hong, director of counseling services at California State University, East Bay. That includes some from LGBTQ+ communities or those who are undocumented or have family members who are undocumented, she said.

The advice center offers tips online. This includes limiting news intake, paying special attention to checking news immediately before bed, checking news sources to follow reputable sources, and paying attention to social media usage.

Other suggestions include seeking support and thinking about ways to get involved and create positive change while maintaining balance.

“Just sitting around worrying and feeling like I have no control over what’s going to happen to me is a terrible place to sit, and I think that really increases our anxiety,” Hong said. “So we’re trying to take realistic actions to speak up for what we believe in.”