How to Survive Election Season Without Losing Your Mind

September 26, 2024 1:17 PM EDT

Political pundits would have a much easier job if they started predicting Americans’ stress levels instead of the outcome of the presidential election. No margin of error needed—it’s easy to see we’re all anxious. (Talk about unfavorable polling.)

According to a recent American Psychiatric Association poll, 73% of adults in the U.S. are stressed about the race. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey concluded that 65% of Americans always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics, while 55% report feeling angry. Politics triggers sleep loss, shortened tempers, and obsessive thoughts.

As researchers found last year, even election-related anticipatory stress—like ruminating over the social gathering you’re going to with people who support a different candidate—can adversely affect health. “It has immediate consequences,” says study author Shevaun Neupert, a professor in the department of psychology at NC State University. “It’s getting under our skin in ways that are affecting our health on a day-to-day basis.” Research has long suggested that stress can make people more susceptible to colds and the flu, as well as debilitating chronic illness. “If someone is having a strong reaction, and it’s impeding their day-to-day functioning, it’s important to talk to someone,” she says. “It’s a very common experience—but that doesn't mean it’s a healthy one.”

With that in mind, we asked experts to share strategies that can help us all survive election season, sanity intact.

Do some problem-analysis

While researching anticipatory election stress, Neupert landed on one particularly effective coping strategy: problem-analysis. “It’s when people think critically about what they think will happen, and why they think it might happen,” she says. “Like, why is it you think you're going to have this argument about the election with an acquaintance tomorrow? And could you try to understand their perspective ahead of time?” As you reflect on those questions, brainstorm how you’ll respond to each point they bring up, she suggests, with the goal of preventing an argument and still engaging in a productive conversation.

Problem-analysis helped Neupert’s study participants protect themselves from the damaging effects of stress during the event they were worried about. “There was no significant decrease in their physical health,” she says. “We’re aware the messaging could be, ‘Elections are stressful. People should just put their heads in the sand, and wait until it's all over’—which isn’t great for democracy. So we’re trying to understand ways that people can stay engaged but still preserve their mental and physical health.”

Put your thoughts on trial

In addition to brainstorming how you might handle future election-related stress, it can be helpful to challenge the existential fears you have around the presidential election. Colleen Marshall, chief clinical officer at the mental-health clinic Two Chairs, calls this technique—which is common in cognitive behavioral therapy—putting your thoughts on trial. Let’s say you think life as you know it will go up in flames if the candidate you’re pulling for doesn’t win. First, ask yourself what evidence you have that that’s true: “You’ll have to hear their name for four years, and it's true they'll have an impact on policy, and some of those policies might impact your life,” she says. But what evidence do you have that your belief your life will be over is not true? “I’d be like, ‘Well, they probably won't impact who I'm married to, where I live, or where I go to dinner on Friday night. They're not going to impact what job I have, what I do for fun, or where I travel.’” Identifying “anxiety thoughts”—as opposed to factual thoughts—typically quells people’s nerves, Marshall says. She’s found it’s an effective antidote to catastrophizing and black-and-white thinking.

Set boundaries around news consumption

For some people, not tuning into the news causes anxiety to swell. Others benefit from setting firm boundaries around media intake. “You can control how much news you're consuming, and how much you're letting it intrude into your daily life,” Marshall says. For example, consider allowing yourself 30 minutes a day to catch up on the news, muting notifications from news apps, or turning off your phone one day a week.

Marshall sometimes works with military families who have a loved one deployed, and she coaches them to designate a trusted person who funnels essential news to them. That way, they don’t have to be glued to their screens, anxiously refreshing their apps to see if anything has changed. Closer to home, Marshall’s husband is a history professor, so he likes to stay up-to-date on all things politics—but she doesn't. “I check in with him, like, ‘Hey, anything going on?’” If there is, he lets her know: “Actually, you probably want to turn on the news because Biden stepped down and Harris is now running.” Enlist a trusted friend to help you stick to your news consumption boundaries, too, she advises, and have a conversation about what warrants an update.

Prune your social accounts

Social media has altered the way we get information during elections—for both better and worse, says Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer of The Jed Foundation, a mental-health nonprofit. While information on platforms like Instagram is often appealing because it feels digestible, the algorithms driving these sites “can push us toward the same kind of content and opinions over and over,” she points out. “It can be really stressful to see those same kinds of difficult issues raised repeatedly.” That’s especially true if you belong to a group of people worried about safety or rights, she adds—and you’re seeing, for example, frequent headlines about decreased support for LGBTQI people or immigrants.

It's important to acknowledge that “these apps are designed to deliver content that will get more likes and keep us on longer, and not necessarily provide useful information,” Erickson-Schroth says. From there, take steps to make your social-media experience as healthy as possible: Set daily time limits, change up the accounts you’re following, and search for particular topics you’d like to see more of—which will train the algorithm to send them your way. You can also log words and phrases that you don’t want to see on Instagram, and you won’t be shown any suggested posts in your feed that contain them.

Make a plan for tricky conversations

Spend time reflecting on what kind of personal boundaries you want to set around talking about politics. Inevitably, you’ll encounter differences of opinion—and things can get heated fast, Erickson-Schroth acknowledges. Before engaging in a conversation, she suggests asking yourself: “Am I in the emotional headspace to have this conversation? Am I already feeling stressed out, on edge, or angry?” If the answer is yes, change the subject.

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If you do choose to engage in a conversation with someone who has different political views, approach it with curiosity—and the understanding that you probably won't change their mind, Erickson-Schroth says. If that's your goal, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, treat it as an opportunity to learn where they’re coming from. If things start to dissolve, she recommends interjecting: “This conversation is really challenging for me. Could we talk about something else?”

Carve out time for whatever de-stresses you

Prioritize relaxation—whatever that might mean for you—during the tumultuous months leading up to the election. “We need to do things we call wellness, like practicing mindfulness or being out in nature, and making sure to get enough sleep and exercise,” Marshall says. “All the things that keep you balanced overall.”

It can be helpful to reflect on how you successfully coped with tough times in the past, says Kristin Papa, a psychotherapist in San Jose, Calif. If you were waiting for your doctor to call with nerve-wracking test results, did you journal? Seek out social support? Take a long bath? “Maybe you did physical activity to get the energy out,” she says. “Making connections to past experiences can help you deal with this one—I tell clients, ‘Let’s just turn the volume down.’ It’s finding a way to get to the point where you can live your life and do what you need to do,” rather than becoming stuck in an election-related frenzy.

Focus on what you can control

Many people struggle with a lack of agency—or feeling powerless, like you’re “just one vote”—during election season. Reclaim a sense of control by getting involved, Erickson-Schroth suggests. Civic engagement promotes positive mental-health outcomes as well as a sense of social connectedness, including among young people, she says.

What might that look like? Whatever speaks to you: You could write postcards encouraging people to vote, Papa says, or connect with local organizations about volunteer opportunities. Or, consider attending rallies, canvassing on behalf of your favorite candidate, or making a donation to an important cause. What matters most “is realizing that you can’t change everything, but you can do what you can within your own emotional capacity and time,” she says.

Make a plan for election night

We might not know who the next president of the United States is by midnight on Nov. 5—but we’ll likely be in for a tense evening as preliminary results are broadcast. If you know the stress will get to you, plan accordingly: Marshall, for instance, has a friend who goes on vacation every four years during election week. “She’s already taken time off work, because in her mind, it’s done; she voted. Like, ‘Why am I here, just living through the anxiety?’” Marshall’s friend knows herself well enough to understand she won't enjoy election night, so disconnecting from the news cycle suits her well.

You don't have to book a plane ticket to make election night more palatable. Marshall suggests thinking through who you want around you—or whether you'd rather be alone to process the news—and how you want to manage your nerves. (“I probably would not recommend drinking,” she clarifies. “It does relieve anxiety, but it’s not the healthiest choice.”) Consider planning activities you enjoy, like getting takeout from a favorite restaurant, doing a hot yoga class or pickleball session, or even buying some new candles to light around your living room.

Practice radical acceptance

No matter how the election turns out, some segment of the population will be disappointed. If that’s you, consider practicing radical acceptance, Marshall urges—which means removing emotion from the situation, and accepting it for what it is. “Part of our suffering is trying to argue away reality,” she says. “What's nice about the election results is once they're in and clear, you can just sort of accept reality: Factually, where are we? And then make your decision from that point of view.” That might mean increasing your political activism, or on the flipside, tuning out politics altogether. But until then, do your best to keep your anxiety in check. “We don't actually know yet what the outcome is going to be,” Marshall says. “Why are you planning for it today? It's not going to help.”