How to Cope During an Election Year

You may have noticed there’s a lot going on in our political news right now. This can feel true so much of the time, but tensions have really ramped up during this election year. Global tensions are at an all-time high. It’s a lot. And it’s likely to get more wild in these next few months.

You might not realize what an impact this can have on your nervous system. But you might have noticed you’re either doubling down on your news intake, or avoiding the news as much as possible. If you pause to take stock of how you’re doing, you might notice you’ve felt more irritable or sensitive lately. Maybe you’re getting into more conflict with your partner. Maybe you’re annoyed with your coworkers. Maybe you’re thinking “I feel more edgy lately” or “I feel kinda down” and can’t really pinpoint why. These are all totally normal responses to a politically and culturally tense, stressful, and even traumatic time.

When we’re swimming in this thick and toxic political soup, it gets to us. Of course it affects us! Both the doubling down on news intake––read all the articles, listen to all the podcasts, NPR on 24/7––and the attempt to avoid the news––head-in-the-sand style––are a trauma response. Our system says, “Whoa! This is a lot!” or “This reminds me of what we’ve experienced before…” and shifts into fight-flight-freeze. We might not be able to avoid the effects of these next few months, but we can help ourselves by being aware of the impact on our nervous system and perhaps being intentional with our coping in this season.

When we’re exposed to violent, othering, oppressive, and toxic content, we may experience an increase in activation in our nervous system. This might look like any of the symptoms I listed above––hypervigilance, irritability, low mood, etc. The first task is to become aware of it. Start with noting, both to yourself and maybe to the people close to you, “This is affecting me.” Oftentimes even just naming the thing can help to release some of the power it has over us. Additionally, we can’t do anything with something that is outside of our awareness. 

Now that we have awareness on board, what do you need to do to take care of yourself in this season? How do you stay grounded or metabolize the anger and rage you might feel? If you’re listening to a newsy podcast or the radio, can you move your body while doing so? Maybe try doing the dishes or going for a walk while you take it in. Notice your breathing, can you practice some intentional long inhales and exhales while you’re reading/watching/listening? If you’re feeling angry and upset, try a ragey dance party, or scream into a pillow or in your car. It’s not anger that we need to be afraid of, it’s tamped down anger that gets scary, so let’s give it a safe outlet.

I also wonder how you’re tracking your need to take a break. Some of us aren’t very good at noticing when we’ve pushed past our stress threshold. I wonder if you can notice what happens in your body when you’re at capacity. You might notice you’ve stopped reaching for your go-to coping tools. Maybe you’ve let your sleep routine slip. Or you might be skipping meals or soothing with food. Or maybe you’ve canceled plans with friends. Which leads me to my last point about coping.

Are you talking to your trusted friends and family in this season? This can be really tricky, because political turmoil is classically divisive. But I wonder if you have people close to you who “get it” and maybe can even relate to how you’re feeling. Especially when we’re dealing with something we can’t fix, it can help to be in it together. Let your close and trusted people know how you’re doing. And maybe ask them how they’re doing. And then go for a walk together, toss a frisbee, share a meal, or go for a swim. Orient yourself to something besides the stress and trauma you’ve been tracking in your system. Notice something outside yourself that feels ok. Let your nervous system register that too.

It can feel like a lot to manage, and for some who have a history of trauma, it can feel downright triggering. If this is you, if it would feel helpful to talk to someone about therapy for trauma, I hope you’ll reach out.