This year's presidential election has people totally stressed out. Trainer Bernice Ross offers strategies for releasing your anxiety and getting back to business.
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Election anxiety has gripped the country, destroying friendships, causing major rifts in families and severing business relationships. If you're in the grip of election anxiety, you can overcome it.
The 2024 presidential election campaign has been unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes. It has all the elements of Survivor, Big Brother and plot twists worthy of any soap opera. The furor resembles what happens when sports archrivals meet to determine a national championship.
Real psychological risks
A few days ago, my stylist described what he was seeing in his clients. Some were severely depressed at the thought of their candidate losing while others would angrily bolt out of his chair if he even dropped the slightest hint that their candidate might lose.
When someone becomes so immersed in the election that they become compelled to make it the primary focal point of their waking hours, they may be at risk for a serious psychological problem if their candidate loses.
For some, a loss will be akin to having their heart broken. Others may experience what is known as exogenous depression, where their candidate's loss triggers a depressive episode that requires medical intervention. A third group may strike out in anger at those friends and family members who were "responsible" for their candidate's loss.
Conquering election anxiety
If you find yourself becoming overly upset, feeling fearful or angry about the potential election results, or having trouble sleeping because you are so worried, these symptoms are triggered by the release of cortisol and adrenaline. Increased levels of these substances are highly correlated with increased levels of cancer and heart disease.
To combat the effects of election anxiety, the key is to take physical action. Here's what to do:
1. Vote early
If your state allows early voting or if you can vote absentee, cast your ballot early. This gives your brain a sense of closure that you have done your part.
2. Pound the pavement
Arguing with friends and family over the candidates is often futile. Instead, contact your campaign's local headquarters and volunteer to make phone calls to get out the vote or to drive people to the polls on Election Day.
3. Eliminate the source of your frustration
The media is the primary driver of election anxiety, though it could be a family member, colleague, friend or client. The election is just a few days off -- take a hiatus from talk radio, newspaper sites, political sites and your social media timelines.
If the source of your election anxiety is someone you must interact with daily, see if you can agree to set up a politics-free zone when you're in the same space together.
4. Physically release your anger and frustration
Taking your anger out on others or bottling it up inside can result in both damaged relationships and serious health issues. Ways to combat this stress include yoga, martial arts, running or other physical activities that burn off stress-related hormones.
A very different approach comes from my friend Marilyn Naylor, who has taught fear and anger workshops for several decades.
Here's what she recommends doing:
5. Divert your attention elsewhere
When you feel election anxiety coming on, physically shift your body by standing up to get a glass of water or leaving the room. If at all possible, change activities as well, preferably to something that requires your concentration, makes you laugh or is so engaging that it will block out any other thoughts.
Examples include watching an action movie, calling a friend who always makes you laugh, yanking up the weeds in your garden, or attending a concert, lecture or some other live event.
6. Let 'em have it
As much as you may want a particular outcome, the only choice you can really control is how you will react to the outcome. To lessen your election anxiety before the election, make a list of all the things you will do if your candidate loses. Be as outrageous and angry as you would like, but then choose the one or two actions that best support you to be happy and to have a better life.
7. Let the AA pledge be your guide
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
If election anxiety has taken control of your life, you can find the courage to change it. If you need professional help to cope, however, please seek it.