Feeling Election Anxiety? If so, you are not alone. A recent survey found that 68% of American adults say that the upcoming election is a significant source of stress in their life. Add to that a worldwide pandemic and the result is a level of stress that is being felt around the country and the globe. Even those with strong coping skills may be feeling the emotional contagion of stress and anxiety that is all around us.
This is your Guide to Navigating Election Anxiety, with my top ten tips and strategies from experts in mindfulness, neuroscience and psychology on how to stay resilient, positive and calm.
1. Listen to Your Body
“I’m fine,” you say to yourself as your body aches and you feel exhausted from many nights of poor sleep. Our bodies hold our fears and stress as tension and tightness that often result in pain, stomach upset, headaches, sleeplessness, and more. Subconscious fears and worries can manifest in our bodies before we are even aware of them. Connecting with your body and offering yourself ways to physically relax and unwind can go a long way in releasing all those buried fears and anxious thoughts.
Let Go of Tension –
Pause often throughout your day and scan your body.
Notice where you are feeling anxiety, tension or tightness.
As you inhale, imagine breathing into any areas of discomfort or tightness in your body.
As you exhale, slowly and purposely let go tension as you relax and soften your body.
Repeat often as needed!
2. Feel Those Feelings
Our natural tendency is to avoid unpleasant emotions like anger, grief, and anxiety. However, a refusal to acknowledge what we are feeling almost always results in a build-up of emotion and then a surprisingly oversized emotional outburst at some inopportune time.
Psychiatrist and mindfulness expert Dr. Dan Seigel suggests that the best way to deal with strong emotions is to “name it to tame it.” Naming what you are feeling creates a bit of distance from those feelings and a greater understanding of them. This also helps you feel less overwhelmed or consumed by strong feelings. Here’s how . . .
Name It To Tame It
An event occurs and you feel triggered.
Notice the physical sensations in your body or where your emotions are felt.
Identify the emotions and label them . . . “This is anger / sadness / frustration / etc.”
Notice how that emotion feels and focus on where it is felt in your body.
Take a nice deep breath and create space around those feelings and sensations.
Know that this is just an unpleasant feeling and it is temporary. The more you can see that feelings come and go, the less caught up you get in them.
Don’t feel bad about feeling bad. When UC Berkeley researchers studied more than 1,300 adults in a 2017 study, they found “that people who commonly resist acknowledging their darkest emotions, or judge them harshly, can end up feeling more psychologically stressed.” If you are feeling angry or scared, that’s OK. In fact, it’s normal. Just know that that you can soothe these emotions and let them be felt.
3. Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There
Sylvia Boorstein, a wonderful meditation teacher wrote a beautiful book on meditation entitled, Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There. In it, she explains our instinct as human beings (fight or flight) and our socialized tendencies are to act when we are feeling upset. Ancient wisdom, however, can help in offering an alternative. Sitting still, processing, finding calm, pausing, and sending ourselves tenderness and compassion for how we are feeling are all part of meditation practice, and are gentle ways to calm the mind and body by letting things simply be. There is always time for action, but often knowing the best way forward comes after we have a bit more inner calm, which will also build strength, energy, clarity and wisdom as we move into action.
When feeling upset, think about how you would relate to a friend who is feeling anxious. Can you offer that same sense of kindness and care to yourself? Try saying to yourself, “It’s okay, this will pass.”
4. Touch Into Calm
When we are experiencing stress, neural cells around the heart are activated. A quick solution to calming those neurons down is simply placing your hand on your heart. Linda Graham, an expert on building resilience explains, “We are hardwired to be soothed by touch. Warm, safe touch is a stress reducer because it primes the brain to release oxytocin, the hormone of safety and trust, of calm and connect. Oxytocin is the brain’s direct and immediate antidote to the stress hormone cortisol.”
In a time of social distancing, placing your own hand on your heart works well, especially when you breathe into your heart positive thoughts and feelings, like safety, trust, ease, and goodness.
Hands on Heart Meditation
Find a comfortable seated posture.
Place one or both hands on your chest, near your heart.
Take a few minutes to simply feel all of the sensations of touch in your fingers, palms, skin, chest, and the pressure of your own gentle touch.
Breathe in slowly and as you do imagine breathing in anything that you would like to invite into your heart – calm, peace, joy, etc.
Then, slowly exhale and breathe that out into the world.
Repeat for a few minutes and feel the calming effects on your body, heart and mind.
5. Find the Good
Uncertainty and negativity may seem pervasive right now, but there is good all around us. Sometimes, we just need to look for it. When you find it, let yourself feel good about it. This is known as moral elevation- the warm feeling we get when we witness someone engaged in a courageous or kind act. It makes us feel optimistic and even joyful. This positivity is contagious.
Find the Good
Enjoy the beauty of nature all around you.
Notice the kind deeds of others.
Perform an act of kindness others - any small act will do!.
Take the time to let those warm and happy feelings be felt and enjoy renewed optimism and positivity.
6. Choose Gratitude
Gratitude researcher Robert Emmons writes, “In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope.” Gratitude practices have been shown to increases resilience, decreases stress and anxiety, lower exhaustion and burnout, and inspire pro-social behavior.
Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude
Take a few minutes each day and simply think of something or someone you are grateful for.
Hold that thing or person in your mind and heart, then spend a moment appreciating what you have.
Notice how that feels.
Big or small (even gratitude for your breath), we all have much to be grateful for, so pause and take time to notice appreciate all that you have right now.
7. Avoid Dwelling on Worst-Case Scenarios
When we are in the midst of uncertainty, people tend to immediately imagine the worst possible outcomes. Lingering in thoughts of catastrophe triggers our stress response and all of the ill effects stress has on our bodies. Research has shown that ruminating, or repetitive thinking involving excessive, negative thoughts, impairs problem-solving and is detrimental to our health.
Stop the Cycle of Negativity
Three ways to stop this unhealthy mental pattern are:
(1) When you get stuck in a cycle of negative thinking, remember that worrying about what might happen is not productive.
(2) Learn to drop the story by focusing on something other than negative thoughts, like exercising, cleaning, talking to a friend, or listening to music.
(3) Meditate to learn how to strengthen your ability to quiet your busy mind.
8. Limt Your Media Consumption
The 24-hour news cycle is designed to catch and keep your attention, but it also causes stress and anxiety. Notice how the news affects you and try to limit your media consumption to lessen your feelings of anxiety, fear or frustration.
Unplug
Get your news by reading it instead of watching it.
Read just enough to stay informed.
Set a time limit on how much news you watch each day.
Take frequent digital breaks.
Know when enough is enough and unplug.
Fill your time with things that make you feel good like going outside, taking a walk or connecting with friends.
When with friends, take a break from talking about the news!
9. Prioritize Self-Care
Self-Care is not selfish. It renews your energy, keeps you healthy, boosts your immune system, improves your mood, and wards off all of the negative effects of stress on your body. So be sure to take some time for yourself and do something you enjoy. Move things up on your “To Do” list that are things you want to do, rather than things you have to do.
Take a walk
Enjoy a warm bath
Read a good book
Play with a pet
Get outside in nature
Eat a healthy meal
Listen to your favorite music
Connect with friends
10. Make a Plan of Action
All that nervous energy can be channeled into doing good in the world. Take time to better understand your cares and concerns. Then, make a plan of action.
Know when and where you will vote.
Volunteer in your community.
Get involved in a cause that is important to you.
Support a group or movement with your time or make a financial contribution.
