With 2024 passing through the end of its summer days, it might feel daunting to think about the upcoming election. While it is important to be informed and in the know, many find it challenging to develop a balance between being knowledgeable and overexposure. Overexposure to political media can lead to symptoms of anxiety or depression if we aren’t being mindful. Although it might seem like a time to lunge into extra hours of the news and attending advocacy events, it’s helpful to remember that taking care of ourselves is the most sustainable investment to make. This is true at all times and it is especially important during times of nationwide stress.
Here are some quick tips and tools that we suggest adding to your coping kit with November around the corner:
Taking Breaks from Social Media
While we understand the importance of being up to date, we also want to remind you that taking breaks doesn’t mean you’re not engaged. It’s helpful to think of a political landscape like hiking a huge mountain. Taking breaks doesn’t mean you're no longer on the route, it’s resting for the remainder of the climb. It might be worth the time to ‘rig’ your algorithm on Instagram or TikTok, look up all the cute puppies, follow a bunch of cake decorating accounts, or dig in to see what bee keeping is all about. The internet is a bottomless pit, we might as well make some adjustments so we can see some things that we like to give us a bit of respite.
Making Sure to Get Outside
Going outside can be great for our nervous system and can help bring us to the present. When we are in nature, our brains have more things to process through our senses. It can be helpful to go on a walk and listen to all the sounds that are going on, taking a moment to notice things that we haven’t paid attention to in the past, or even (as corny as it sounds) stopping to smell the flowers around you. Using our senses to process our environment can be a way to focus on the here and now.
Remembering to Sleep
When we are engaging in something that is emotionally stimulating, like the news or politics, it can add some wear and tear to our nervous system. During times of macro-level stress, we can have additional challenges winding down to go to sleep. Taking some time to think about our sleep hygiene and boundaries might be helpful to do now, rather than trying to implement these practices during a time of stress. Some things that are helpful to pay attention to are; screen time, the coziness of your space, consistency of when you go to bed, and when you cut off caffeine.
Giving Yourself Space to do Things that You Love
As hard as it might be, carving out time and space within our day-to-day to do things that we enjoy is a part of a healthy coping practice. While it might seem important for you to be glued to the news, realistically, if something dire were to happen, someone would let you know. It’s important to remind ourselves that we like to be in the know because it may foster a sense of control. In reality, doing things that we enjoy, is a way to also have control that has a more fulfilling payout. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, we want to make practicing this as attainable as possible. Listening to fun music, coloring, movement, chatting with a favorite colleague, lighting a favorite candle, going to your favorite park on your way home, are all ways that we can practice adding in things that we enjoy. Small things can make a huge difference.
See a Mental Health Provider
Lastly, we do suggest seeing a mental health provider if you feel like you’re struggling with the election. Being in a nonjudgmental space might be helpful when you’re trying to process through these ongoing stressors. Therapy can be a space to work on building skills to regulate our emotions while still validating our experience. Working on coping skill development might seem like an additional task during an already stressful time, but it’s helpful to understand that developing coping skills is like learning how to swim with the current vs. upstream.
Overall, being involved and knowledgeable about what is going on in politics can be helpful. At the same time, we want to be mindful of when it might be too much of a good thing that is creating burnout or emotional dysregulation. While we have laid out some initial steps to take in practicing boundaries and self-care, remembering to implement them can be challenging. Starting small and starting proactively are two ways to get the ball rolling in a preventative manner that can make all the difference. It is imperative that we take care of ourselves so we can be there for others as well.
-Hannah M Conner, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor at Chase Wellness, PLLC
The information on this website is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological condition and is not a substitute for therapy. If you are experiencing an emergency please call/text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.
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