By Koryn Sheppard
Election cycles, particularly in high-stakes political climates like the current one, can be exhilarating, exhausting — or both. The flood of political news, opinions, debates, and advertisements can overwhelm and even dismay. At its core, an election is a contest of values, ideas, opinions, and visions for the future. When it comes to presidential elections, many people feel a personal stake in the outcome. Emotional highs and lows can lead to stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Some may even feel real fear. This fear is not unjustified, as polarizing political extremism has led to acts of terror, violence, and civil unrest. Additionally, the psychological impact can be equally severe. Many people, especially those in marginalized groups, feel an increasing sense of vulnerability during election cycles as the worry about hate crimes and discrimination adds a deeper layer of anxiety to an already tense period. Many people feel angry. This anger is not unjustified. Political discussion can easily turn heated, even between close friends and beloved relatives. It is easy, tempting, and even reflexively vindicating to resort to ad hominem attacks when you believe the other side is racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, etc.
Marc Meyer, from the National Conflict Resolution Center, led a thoughtful lunch hour discussion for the SDFLBA wellness committee about keeping the conversation civil in a heated political climate. In that presentation, he offered tips and insights about how to have these conversations while maintaining your internal well-being. Just a few of these include entering conversations with respect and curiosity about others’ beliefs, asking open-ended questions, identifying underlying needs, checking your internal cognitive biases and your own ego, practicing active awareness, acknowledging without agreeing, recognizing communication style differences, presenting perspectives in a nonconfrontational way, and looking for mutually beneficial solutions.
In addition to protecting your well-being during political discussions, some additional strategies for protecting your well-being during the election cycle include getting boundaries (up to and including disengagement from) news outlets and social media, continuing to engage in activities that feed the soul, focusing on what you can control (which can include becoming an activist or volunteer), maintaining important social connections, and practicing gratitude and positive thinking.
If you wake up on November 6th to find that your preferred candidate has not prevailed, you may feel a mix of strong emotions. However, those feelings can be constructively managed. If you feel disappointment, frustration, fear, sadness, anger — allow yourself the time and space to process those feelings. These feelings are natural when the results are not aligned with your hopes and firmly held beliefs. Engage in self-care activities that help to counter-act or counterbalance the negative emotions you may be feeling. If your emotions become intense, consider talking with a trusted friend, relative, or therapist who can let you vent and express your feelings in a healthy way. Avoid media consumption while your feelings are still very acute and triggering for you. Acknowledge and honor when you need rest, quiet, or space. You may want to consider channeling strong feelings into positive action through advocacy, education, organizing, or activism involvement. Many groups are looking for passionate supporters who can contribute time and skills. You may also find strength and comfort when you surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are likely empathetic to what you are currently feeling.
On a personal note, when I was struggling with persistent negative thoughts, I practiced positive thinking daily. Each day, no matter what happened, I forced myself to find (at least) three positive things that happened. I had to tell them to someone. They did not have to be significant or meaningful to others, but they did have to be authentically positive to me. I found myself scanning throughout the day, focusing on the positive so that I could have my three items by the end of the day. This shifted my brain from focusing on the negative (which is actually a natural human tendency known as the negativity bias) to actively searching for the positive and, eventually, the cycle of persistent negative thoughts was broken. If you find yourself in such a cycle, I encourage you to try this exercise. Practicing positive thinking can lead to increases in resilience, optimism, and constructive action through improved mental health and stress management.