If the high-stakes presidential election is causing difficult thoughts, existential angst, or disagreements with loved ones, there’s no need to fight through it.
Take a deep breath. Literal.
Meditation and mindfulness teacher Rosie Acosta says focusing on each inhale and exhale can help regain that fundamental sense of control that may be drowned out by the increasing uncertainty of election season. Experts like Acosta, who works in Southern California for Headspace, a mental health company and app, want those who are struggling to know that there are ways to relieve election-induced stress and navigate the tensions associated with it.
“I can control how I breathe. …I can use my mindfulness practice and stay in the present moment, instead of worrying about what the outcome of an election will be,” said Acosta, who teaches the guided meditations “Surviving Dinner Table Debates” and “Compassion During Campaign Season ” contributed. ” to Headspace’s “politics without panic” collection.
“You forget how much power we actually have over this tension and this fear.”
This year’s campaign has already witnessed unexpected twists, such as President Joe Biden’s exit from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris’ meteoric rise among Democrats.assassination attemptstargeting the former president of the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
And approximately 3 in 4 American adultsbelieve the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of American democracy, although which candidate they think poses the greatest threat depends on their political preferences, according to a survey by TheAssociated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Acosta recalled how political division seeped into a Christmas family gathering in 2016, turning an opportunity for joy, connection and nostalgia into a “ground for verbal war.”
In navigating the aftermath, she said she learned to set boundaries in her relationship with a family member and focus on things that brought them together, rather than driving them apart. That might mean saying, “We’re not talking about this right now; let’s talk about something else,” disconnecting from an idle conversation, ignoring a sent political meme, she said, or bringing up a shared memory, rather than breaking news.
“Mindfulness and meditation really help us reshape our relationships – our relationships in general, but especially our relationship to our thoughts,” she said.
Headspace also partners with When We all Vote, a national, nonpartisan voting initiative created by the former first lady Michelle Obama to provide eligible voters with some free resources to ease anxiety during election season. There is a stress quiz to determine if you are “the collected component”; “the overwhelmed optimist;” “the weary worrier;” or ‘to panic the politicians’. The partnership also includes a voter registration portal.
“This is really meant to reach people regardless of their political beliefs or views,” said Christine Evans, president of Headspace. “No matter who you are, you deserve mental health and support when you need it.”
The Rev. Cynthia O’Brien often sees some people get particularly nervous around Thanksgiving.
“Thanksgiving is about people you love but may not always see,” she said. “I hear people say, ‘Oh, my relatives in Texas think I’ve gone off the deep end, that they don’t want to talk to me,’ or ‘my sister-in-law and I don’t talk,’ and that’s just true. the political polarization that has arisen between them.”
One suggestion, she said, is to avoid having such conversations at the dinner table and instead opt for one-on-one conversations.
O’Brien is no stranger to a room of people with different ideologies.
Based in Oregon, she is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Woodburn and Aurora Presbyterian Church, which has small congregations that include conservatives and progressives.
She is also a national debate chairman and workshop moderator Braver angelsa non-profit organization that does depolarization work. Workshops she moderates include teaching skills to better disagree.
“We don’t try to smooth over the differences. We teach skills to express differences in a responsible, loving and caring way,” she said.
Goals include gaining greater understanding of the values and concerns of those who differ politically. Workshop participants are taught to listen attentively, acknowledge the other’s opinion before sharing their own, turn to indicate they are about to share theirs and exchange perspectives, for example, by sharing a personal story behind their position or the source of information for their position.
They are instructed to let go of the expectation that they will convince others that they are wrong.
“Our democracy requires that we talk across disagreement and not just yell at each other,” O’Brien said.
Dr. Petros Levounis, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said that “people who feel particularly anxious about the election should rest assured that they are not alone.”
He emphasized the importance of taking care of physical health, getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising regularly. While such practices may sound ‘a bit banal’, they are just so crucial to our well-being.
Also make time to relax and “maybe do some breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness; these are things that people have found very useful.”
Levounis cautioned against relying on alcohol to calm the nerves, saying it “invariably increases anxiety in the long run, and I’m not talking months and years. … A few hours after heavy alcohol consumption, anxiety increases.”
In cases where anxiety becomes debilitating and interferes with work or home life, he recommends talking to a mental health professional or doctor.
Some universities also provide their students with resources to manage election stress.
“We certainly have some students who really think a lot about politics and are aware of the impact it has on them,” said Shauna Olson Hong, director of consulting services at California State University, East Bay. That includes some from LGBTQ+ communities or who are undocumented or have family members who are, she said.
The advice center offers tips online. These include limiting news intake, being especially careful about checking news right before bed, vetting news sources to follow reputable sources, and being mindful of social media use.
Other suggestions include seeking support and thinking about ways to get involved and create positive change while maintaining balance.
“Just sitting around and worrying and feeling like I don’t have any control over what’s going to happen to me is a terrible place to be and I think that really increases our anxiety,” Hong said. “So we’re trying to take realistic action to speak out for what we believe in.”
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