The presidential election has been so close and a big source of stress for a lot of Americans. Just over half of them feel angry when they think about politics, and nearly two-thirds always or often feel exhausted thinking about it.
So, we offer some tips on keeping calm amid the turmoil and uncertainty.
What are some things to do on Election Day?
“I think it really has to come down with taking some self-ownership of yourself, really owning how you showed up, if you voted, if you reached out to officials, and all the things you need to do,” Tampa therapist Dr. Aniesa Hanson said. “On Election Day, you really did all the stuff that's possible and making sure, are you calming yourself? Are you connecting to yourself? Are you livestreaming something that maybe is very reactive to you? Which I'm not going to be doing, because I work really hard to calm my own nervous system. So I recommend if that's too much for you, don't do it.”
Hanson said activities like connecting to nature, breath work, going on a walk or talking with friends are helpful.
“Also setting boundaries of, when am I watching the news? When am I opening my phone? When am I getting on the internet? When am I on social media? Because with algorithms and headlines, you can't really control what you're opening yourself up to. So when you do that, it's really being mindful of, am I in the space where I can do that and be okay with it? And if I'm not, I have to own that. Because no one's really in control of making sure you're okay, but you. No politician, no policy.”
You can also connect with the people around you.
“And so tuning into helping a neighbor, helping a friend, it helps shifts, I think we naturally are nurturing and caring and compassionate. And when these things happen, I think we forget that, because the fear brain doesn't care about that stuff. It cares about survival and being right, in righteousness and judgment. And so we get away from the evolution of, we've become these really caring, sensitive people. At the end of the day, I think that's who we all are.”
Hanson continued: “… how I show up and impact people and treat people matters. I matter. I don't have to be the president to make an impact. In your little microcosm, you can make a serious impact on the people you care about every single day.”
"I don't have to be the president to make an impact. In your little microcosm, you can make a serious impact on the people you care about every single day."Dr. Aniesa Hanson
What are some things that trigger anxiety?
Hanson said checking your phone or turning on the news right when you wake up can spark anxiety. Social media is also to blame for chronic stress.
“So I think really, before you turn something on, trying to ask yourself, am I trying to get knowledge and wisdom here? Am I really trying to be informed, or am I just doing what I've always done?”
Hanson said doing so can ruin our nervous systems.
“Your body is destroyed. Transmitters are destroyed. Your hormones are destroyed, your organs, your heart, your nervous system. It's all impacted by it. And taking care of it, no one's going to take care of your nervous system more than you are. And so you have to nurture it. It needs help, which we don't do. We wait until it's broken, and then we're like, now there's a problem.”
Instead, taking time in the morning and at night for your body to regulate is important.
“So that first hour you wake up, no phone zone. Absolutely,” Hanson said. “You have to take some ownership of your life. You’re in different brain waves when you wake up, and the first thing you give it is high stress, so the body can't even regulate before the day starts. We're not being taught that, of the ongoing anxiety and the panic that happens from that, and the depression that happens from that, and the ADHD and a lot of other things that come off from that as well. Which I don't think is being talked about, because companies want you on there, which makes sense.
“And then the sleep thing too. It takes about two hours for your body to downregulate before it gets ready for sleep. So what are you seeing at night? What are you watching? Are you amping yourself up and then laying down, wondering why you can't sleep?”
What if the candidate I voted for loses?
Hanson recommended sitting with your body before results come in.
“… what would it feel like if they won? Having that experience. And then what would it feel like if they didn't win?” Hanson said. “Really feeling it, letting yourself feel it. You're going to be okay. You're resilient. We've been here before. Life goes on, the flow of life continues.”
Hanson also suggested connecting to what’s in your control.
“How do you show up every day? How do you take care of the people in your life? How are you present with your kids? How do you treat the person in line behind you? I think when the fear takes over, we feel like we have no control. That's why we kind of go into the panic because we're like, I have to know what's going to happen or I can't handle it. But we have control every day, and I think it helps people remember that of, you have more control, more power than you realize.”
