Election season may be causing stress, anxiety: Here's how to cope

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We're a week distant from Election Day, and erstwhile President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are making their last run pushes crossed nan country.

As Americans see which candidates to ballot for, and which ballot initiatives to support, experts show ABC News that predetermination seasons often lead to accrued levels of stress, worry and uncertainty.

A 2022 study from nan University of Nevada, Reno, recovered that self-reported symptoms of worry and slump roseate importantly astir nan 2020 predetermination compared to April 2020, successful nan early days of nan COVID-19 pandemic.

"Election accent and worry is very real, and truthful anyone that is emotion it should cognize that location are virtually astir apt millions of different group that are that are besides experiencing this correct now," Dr. Kevin Antschel, a professor of psychology astatine Syracuse University, told ABC News.

What's down predetermination stress, anxiety

Experts said location are a fewer reasons why group whitethorn beryllium emotion accent and anxiety, pinch 1 logic being nan uncertainty associated pinch nan election.

Dr. Judson Brewer, head of investigation and invention astatine nan Mindfulness Center astatine nan Brown University School of Public Health, said it's a basal subsister strategy that dates backmost thousands of years.

"If our ancient ancestors [heard] a rustling successful nan bushes, and they weren't judge what that sound was, and they didn't spell and investigate, it could beryllium a lion that was coming to person them for lunch, truthful that nan process is really baked in," he told ABC News.

Brewer said nan aforesaid measurement people's stomachs rumble for nutrient erstwhile they are hungry, there's a akin process successful nan brain.

"Information is nutrient for our encephalon conscionable for illustration a sandwich is nutrient for our stomach," he said. "The basal underlying process is that our brains really don't for illustration uncertainty. So, it's not astir who's going to win. It's astir nan uncertainty of who mightiness win."

People besides whitethorn acquisition uncertainty because they are not judge what to judge astir nan candidates and their platforms owed to misinformation and disinformation.

Dr. Jessica Borelli, a professor of psychological subject astatine University of California, Irvine, added that group whitethorn consciousness uncertainty nan predetermination tin consequence successful changes successful entree to wellness care, reproductive rights, immigration-related rights, economical argumentation and ambiance alteration policy.

"There tin beryllium a batch of uncertainty related to one's early erstwhile there's a alteration successful nan authorities structure," she told ABC News. "It tin origin a alteration successful policy, galore different policies that tin straight impact people's livelihood."

Election-related accent and worry whitethorn besides beryllium caused by nan inundation of governmental ads connected societal media aliases tv and by being exposed to a 24/7 news rhythm covering nan election.

Coping strategies

To header pinch predetermination accent and anxiety, Antschel recommends that group first attraction connected things they do person power complete successful their mundane lives, which tin supply a consciousness of accomplishment.

"If we cognize uncertainty is nan poison here, past nan antidote is certainty, and truthful what do we person power over?" he said.

Borelli said if group want to beryllium politically active, they tin attraction connected actual tasks that they person power over, for illustration helping get group registered to ballot aliases participating successful canvassing.

Another measurement to header is to group boundaries astir news depletion and societal media usage and return nan clip to shape connections pinch others offline, experts said.

Brewer added that if group tin place their triggers, specified proceeding polarizing news, past group tin attraction connected replacing nan behaviour pinch thing much beneficial, whether it's limiting news depletion aliases becoming much politically active.

Additionally, nan experts said it's important to believe self-care, including getting capable sleep, eating healthy, getting plentifulness of beingness activity and practicing mediation aliases mindfulness.

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