How to Manage Election Anxiety: 13 Tips to Staying Calm

Why Elections Can Cause Anxiety

It is natural for elections to cause anxiety because they can have a deep impact on your safety and stability. In fact, more people in the U.S. are feeling anxious about this year’s elections compared to previous years.¹ One reason for the rise in anxiety is the polarized political climate and extreme views. Many people are worrying about how the vote will impact their family, their job, their home, their safety, and their rights. Secondly, social media platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram are inundated with political content. This continuous stream of information can make the election feel like a continuous, looming event, adding to the overall anxiety.

Symptoms of Election Anxiety

Symptoms of election anxiety can vary in intensity and frequency. Some individuals may experience persistent worry and nervousness or physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue. Others might notice an increase in irritability or mood swings or find it difficult to concentrate on daily tasks. Depending on the intensity, frequency, and duration of symptoms, a person could meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder due to election-related stress.

Signs and symptoms of election anxiety could include:

• Intense worry that affects home, school, or work life
• A constant feeling of unease that makes it difficult to relax
• Feeling drained and lacking in energy despite adequate rest
• Difficulty focusing on tasks or maintaining attention
• Ruminating about the same election-related concerns or scenarios
• Increased irritability
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Panic attacks
• Decreased appetite or overeating
• Avoidance of news, social media, or conversations about the election
• Increased use of substances
• Physical symptoms, such as headaches, muscle tension, stomachaches, nausea, or diarrhea
• Feelings of hopelessness and despair²

How to Deal With Election Anxiety

Dealing with election anxiety can be challenging, but there are practical steps you can take to manage it. While staying informed is important, it’s equally crucial to recognize when the news is causing you additional worry. You can stay informed and still take care of your mental health by being selective about your news consumption and nurturing other areas of your life that bring you joy and relaxation.

Here are thirteen tips and some worksheets for limiting your election anxiety:

1. Focus on What You Can Control

Examine the areas that are realistically under your control and direct all your energy towards them. This can involve voting, getting locally involved with your affiliated political party, or mentally preparing should the results not be what you want. Understanding that you can only control yourself and make changes on your own can ground you and keep you from getting stuck obsessing over the uncertainty often involved in elections. Remember, you cannot control the totality of the electoral outcome, but you can control how you choose to react moving forward.

2. Limit Your News Exposure

How much news is too much? Consuming large amounts of news, especially through TV or social media, can lead to heightened anxiety. It’s important to be mindful of your news sources and limit exposure to avoid unnecessary stress. While staying informed has its benefits, cutting back on news consumption can be an effective way to manage anxiety.²

3. Be Careful About What Types of News You Ingest

Constantly checking sensationalized or biased news sources can amplify your stress and worry about upcoming elections. It’s important to avoid outlets that focus on fear-mongering or have a clear agenda. Instead, seek out reputable, balanced news sources that provide factual, unbiased information. Limiting your exposure to social media can also be helpful, as it often contains misinformation and heightened emotional responses.

4. Find Ways to Contribute Positively

People living with election anxiety must remember that living with too much stress is not a productive use of resources. Stress only creates more tension as it spreads to all aspects of life. Stop the flow of negativity by channeling time, energy, and effort into positivity in your area.

Instead of focusing on the elections, you could decide to:

• Work on a creative or professional project you’ve been putting off.
• Dive into a book that offers an escape or new knowledge.
• Exercise to relieve stress and lift your mood.
• Spend quality time with family or friends.
• Learn something new through an online course or hobby.
• Volunteer for a cause that matters to you.
• Listen to music or a podcast that inspires or entertains you.

These activities can give you a sense of accomplishment and control, which can really help balance out the negativity and division that often comes with politics. Plus, volunteering might introduce you to a new group of like-minded people who are also focused on making a positive impact.

5. Use Anti-Anxiety Techniques to Stop Yourself From Spiraling

Top-down techniques, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can be used to stop ruminating and prevent falling into an anxiety spiral. CBT involves identifying and challenging negative thought patterns. For instance, with cognitive restructuring, if you find yourself thinking, “If my candidate loses, everything will be terrible,” you can challenge this by asking, “Is it really true that everything will be terrible? What evidence do I have for this belief? What are some alternative outcomes?”

Bottom-up techniques focus on addressing the body’s response to stress and can effectively manage election anxiety. Grounding exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and breathing exercises for anxiety can all help calm the nervous system. Try gentle movements like shaking out your hands or rolling your shoulders to help release built-up stress and anxiety. Engaging in physical activities, such as yoga for anxiety or walking, can also help shift your focus from anxious thoughts to your body’s movements and sensations.

6. Walk Away From Unhelpful Conversations

During tense election periods, unhelpful political conversations with friends or family can escalate quickly, causing stress and anxiety. Excusing yourself or redirecting the conversation can help preserve your peace, protecting your mental health and the quality of your relationships. You might say, “I value our relationship too much to let politics come between us,” or steer the conversation towards a neutral topic like a shared hobby or a recent movie.

It’s also helpful to set boundaries beforehand. If you know certain topics will lead to heated debates, preemptively suggest sticking to more lighthearted subjects. For instance, saying, “I think it’s best for us to avoid political discussion today,” can set a clear, respectful boundary. If the conversation continues despite your request, you might add, “If you keep talking about politics, I’ll need to step away from this conversation.” It’s okay to step away from conversations that don’t serve you.

7. Practice Mindfulness to Focus on the Present

Mindfulness for anxiety involves focusing on the present moment and being aware of your body’s sensations, such as your breathing or the feeling of your feet on the ground. By doing this, you can shift your attention away from anxious thoughts and reduce the mental clutter that can come with decision-making and discussions about the election. The idea is to allow yourself to be present and calm, even when things feel uncertain.

8. Separate People From Their Viewpoints.

Don’t allow election stress to affect the quality of your relationships. Setting politics aside, focus on shared values and the positive aspects these relationships possess. This can bring you back to the reasons why these connections exist in your life. Make a conscious effort to engage in activities and conversations that strengthen your bond, such as shared hobbies, reminiscing about good times, or simply expressing appreciation for one another.

If there are people in your circle who are constantly crossing your boundaries—especially when it comes to politics—keep them at a distance or limit your contact with them. Your friendships and other social bonds are supposed to bring you joy, not be another source of stress.

9. Find Things to Be Hopeful For

To push back against the hate and division of the elections, it’s important to make a conscious effort to search for hope and optimism. Start by curating your news feed and social media to include positive stories of kindness, community efforts, and acts of compassion. Additionally, practice gratitude by keeping a journal where you note down things you’re thankful for each day, no matter how small. There are many different journaling apps that make practicing gratitude easy. Finally, spend more time in nature and with animals and appreciate their simple beauty. By intentionally focusing on the good around you, you can foster a more optimistic mindset that helps you navigate through challenging times with greater resilience and peace.

10. Focus on Your Physical Health

Taking care of your physical health can make a big difference when you’re feeling anxious about the election.

Here are some ways to focus on your physical health:

• Diet: When stress is high, people may choose the foods that are available rather than the foods that are healthy. Focus on eating fresh fruits and vegetables with healthy proteins for energy. Avoid sugary drinks and eat well to improve physical health.
• Sleep: Sleep is necessary to restore a person’s physical and mental health. Improve your sleep hygiene by leaving enough time for sleep each night, and putting away the phone at least an hour before bed to avoid getting distracted by bad news.
• Exercise: To improve mental and physical health, exercise is invaluable. Exercise can combat anxiety by increasing endorphin levels, boosting mood, and reducing stress.  If it seems like exercise is too far out of reach, focus on setting aside just 20 minutes each day to take a walk. A walk can clear the mind as it strengthens the body.

11. Limit Your Negative Coping Skills

When stress, tension, and sadness start to build up, it can be really tempting to reach for a quick fix like comfort food, alcohol, or doomscrolling through social media.³ You might find that having a drink at the end of a long day helps you relax, both in your body and your mind. But over time, relying on negative coping skills like alcohol can actually make anxiety worse. Instead of just dealing with the original stress and anxiety, you might find that using these ‘quick fixes’ ends up adding even more stress and anxiety to your life.

12. Completely Unplug for Awhile

While it’s important to stay connected with the people and the world around you, sometimes going off the grid for a period may be necessary to offset the negative effects of your election-related anxiety. Consider taking a social media break, turning off all news and social media notifications on all your devices, ignoring texts/calls from anyone in your orbit who has strong political opinions, not watching live TV, and basically eliminating anything that may trigger election stress.

Unplugging for a while can reboot your overall well-being and give you a chance to relax and focus on other activities so you can come back stronger. You can use this time to pursue enjoyable and wholesome experiences like picking up that book you’ve been meaning to read, watching your favorite Netflix shows, taking up a new hobby, cultivating different types of self-care, and connecting with nature. Once you’re mentally ready to reconnect, try maintaining a balance between these activities and your everyday life.

13. Try to Keep It All in Perspective

You may feel overwhelmed by the ongoing election madness and related stress, which can prevent you from thinking clearly and looking at the bigger picture. It’s completely understandable to feel this way, given how impactful these events can be. Try taking a step back and assessing the things that really matter in your life, like family, work, and your overall health. Consider how you might be realistically impacted in a broader context by the election results, and remember that immediate changes are often less drastic than they might seem. By focusing on what you can control and nurturing the positive aspects of your life, you can help ease election anxiety and maintain a sense of balance during these uncertain times.

Free Worksheets for Managing Election Anxiety

This collection of six worksheets provides practical tools and strategies for managing your election anxiety.

Identifying Your Triggers Download

How to Set Boundaries Download

Cognitive Restructering Download

Self-Care Inventory Download

Practicing Gratitude Download

DBT P.L.E.A.S.E. Skill Download

When to Seek Professional Support

If you find that election-related stress is making you anxious for more than two weeks and it’s starting to affect your performance at home, work, or school, it might be time to seek professional help. Additionally, if you’re struggling to stick to the positive coping skills for anxiety listed above, beginning anxiety treatment can really make a difference. Don’t hesitate to get the support you need to feel better.

To find the right therapist, look for a provider in a local therapist directory, where you can sort by specialty and insurance coverage. Alternatively, there are many different online therapy services that can match you with a therapist who specializes in anxiety. If you want to explore medication options, online psychiatry services can connect you with a qualified psychiatrist. There is no such thing as seeking treatment “too early,” so if you feel the impact of stress on your life, schedule an appointment with a mental health professional today.