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Experiencing election angst? Feel it in the pit of your stomach each time you check the political news, look at poll numbers or pass a yard sign you’d rather not see? You are far from alone. Psychotherapists report an increasing number of clients whose anxiety about the pandemic is now partly supplanted by apprehension over what many believe is the most momentous election in our lifetime.
The stakes are incredibly high, meaning so is the angst. The outcome may determine how our nation will address a growing avalanche of existential threats, from COVID to climate change to domestic terrorism to social injustice to the struggling economy. Parents, grandparents and teachers worry about what’s in store for our children, their lives already disrupted by the pandemic, and their futures clouded by a climate crisis that threatens civilization itself. Adults beaten down by our faltering economy and the increasingly lopsided distribution of wealth wonder if they will get a fair shot at the American Dream. Folks beset by health challenges, including COVID, face the prospect of financial ruin on top of the physical and mental duress accompanying serious medical problems.
The same primary stressor feeding our angst over the pandemic is doing the same with the election — uncertainty. We don’t like not knowing what’s around the next bend, particularly when most of the recent surprises have proven unhappy ones. Given all the political mayhem these past four years, it’s hard not to believe more of the same is headed our way.
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What to do? Well, there are some reliable approaches to dialing down our disquiet. No, not entirely, but enough to smooth out some of the sharper edges. Here are a few of these time-tested methods:
- Do the obvious. Limit your exposure to news media each day. Better yet, take entire days off altogether. It will be there when you return. Also, turn off those news notifications on your devices. If someone starts to talk politics, let them know you’re taking a break from it all.
- Do something. If you are deeply invested in your candidate, prove it. Donate money, join a phone bank, volunteer at your candidate’s local office, and, of course, vote. When we do something constructive about what is bedeviling us, our anxiety lessens, making it easier to let go of “What if?” ruminating.
- Do nothing. In these times, there’s nothing wrong with a little harmless escapism. Whether it’s video games, solitaire, a brainless TV show, a bubble bath or some other benign indulgence, mentally checking out every so often is good medicine.
- Seek perspective. Angst and tunnel vision are joined at the hip. When anxious, our mental perspective narrows, focusing primarily or even exclusively on the threat. Broaden your mental vision through immersion in nature, by listening to soothing music, engaging in creative pursuits that fully capture your attention, or any activity where you lose your mind and come to your senses.
- Be purposeful. When under duress, a clear sense of purpose functions like a mental anchor, helping one hold steady in whatever tempest the world cooks up. If you know what you’re here to do, then you also have a clearer sense of who you are. That provides inner emotional mettle that keeps one cool when the external realm is a hot mess. But it’s not enough to simply ponder one’s purpose. Acting on it is essential.
- Defuse emotional hijacking. If you care enough about the election, you will get emotionally triggered by political ads, breaking news, bumper stickers, opinion pieces and the rest. Accept that it will happen, but don’t abdicate your self-control. Emotional hijacking escalates one’s angst, creating a negative feedback loop. Take a walk, engage in a short burst of exercise, do some deep breathing, splash water on your face — whatever defuses your version of losing it.
Currently, very little feels normal in our lives, making election angst all the more intense. Some folks pull off the requisite sleight of mind, mentally check out and stop caring, sparing themselves the worst of the mental turmoil. But angst is the price we pay for caring, and if we don’t care, a far greater angst may await us.
For more visit philipchard.com.
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