A large number of Americans are very worried about the election, and it's impacting our mental health.
A study from the American Psychological Association found 77% of adults are stressed about the future of the nation, and 69% are worried about the upcoming election.
Other stats from the study include:
- More than 7 in 10 adults (72%) worried the election results could lead to violence
- More than half of adults (56%) said they believed the 2024 presidential election could be the end of democracy in the U.S.
- About a third of adults (32%) said the political climate has caused strain among themselves and their family members
"We're already existing in a world with high stress and high tension, but you add on what seems like really high stakes, political climate, of course, that's going to increase our anxieties, our fear about the future. It may exacerbate existing behavioral health conditions," said Dr. Paige Baker-Braxton, a psychologist with Vail Health.
So how do we deal with this stress?
Psychologists say simple plans to cope with the stress before, during and in the immediate days after the election results roll in is key.
"Safety planning is thinking about the things that you can do when you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed," Baker-Braxton said. "Going for a walk. Eating your favorite food. Calling your best friend, the people or professionals you can reach out to, your therapist, a mentor, a trusted colleague. And then having on deck any of the resources should things get worse, and those are your 988 or your local crisis lines.
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"Be very thoughtful about how you engage with others," said Dr. Casey L. Wolfington, Vail Health psychologist. "When you engage with them, if there are people that are particularly focused on the election and that doesn't feel safe for you to talk about, maybe try to have a different activity. Maybe schedule things around bowling or a movie, and then the conversations can center around that other topic, that activity."
Wolfington also told Scripps News that employers should consider the anticipatory stress that may arise ahead of the stressful event.
"Our election may not be called for days, hours," Wolfington said. "So is it going to be useful for everyone to click and click and refresh over and over again, or can maybe employers think about how we prioritize behavioral health for their employees? Maybe that next day there is a walk and a chat. There's a breakfast. There's a mindfulness activity. How can we space things out so we can have people reconnect with their emotions?"
What's important, psychology experts agree, is that any time we talk about stress we highlight the difference between that and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can come with physical symptoms, like tension, headaches or body pain, high blood pressure and loss of sleep.
The NIH puts it simply this way: Generally, anxiety is internal and a reaction to stress. When it gets to a pervasive, constant dread and is impacting something in your day-to-day work, school or life, that is when it's worth talking with your primary care provider.
