Panic at the Polls! How to Cope with Election Stress

Tense and nervous? Can't relax? It may be election anxiety. Clinical Psychology Professor Katherine Marshall Woods has tips for unwinding and unplugging-before and after you cast your vote.

You toss and turn in bed. You don't want to pick up your phone or turn on the TV-but you can't look away. You avoid friends and family. And you're plagued by an ever-present dread that catastrophe is ahead.

You have election anxiety.

In the final days of a contentious presidential race, Americans are being bombarded with wall-to-wall campaign coverage. And from political junkies to voting novices, the high-volume vitriol-from cable news, social media and even our own kitchen tables-is having an effect on our mental health. According to the American Psychological Association, nearly 70 percent of Americans said the 2024 presidential election was a "significant" source of stress in their lives.

But while the outcome of this race is certainly important, George Washington University Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology Katherine Marshall Woods reminds election watchers that their own mental and physical wellbeing is just as crucial.

"Is this election worth your health?" said Woods, alicensed clinical psychologist with the Professional Psychology Programat the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. "Taking care of yourself, despite all that is happening around you, is the most important aspect of this experience."

In an interview with GW Today, Marshall Woods shared tips for coping with election day-and whatever comes next.

Q: All presidential elections are stressful, but this one feels particularly bad. Are the stress levels heightened?

A: I do believe that they are heightened now. It is different than elections of the past. Individuals are much more galvanized about what these politicians are going to bring to their lives-or take away from them.

We are inundated with the understanding that this election in particular has consequences-positive and/or negative-to our own personal lives. And because it's been made so personal, the level of anxiety has also increased.

Q: If we're feeling overwhelmed by election stress, should we just tune out? Can we even tune out?

A: That's a good question: Can we tune out? Probably the answer is no-and, at the same time, yes.

If you're feeling stressed about the election, it's really important that you take a moment to self-evaluate what you need during this time. The election is only a moment in time. Yes, it will have consequences for all of us. However, at the end of the day, this actual experience-this unknown-will be settled in a couple of days.

So determine what you need in order to feel healthy. Do you need support? Do you need to be around others who are actively concerned and anxious too? Maybe having others to commiserate with makes you feel more comforted and less alone.

Do you need to allot a specific amount of time to think about the election and engage with media outlets? And then do you need to give yourself a break from that experience and engage in activities outside of the election?

Q: What about political junkies who feel like they just can't stop watching? Does that make their anxiety worse?

Actually, because the anxiety is so high right now, some people feel like if they don't have their hand on the pulse at all times, it will create even more anxiety.

The question is: Can you keep your hand on the pulse-but in a different way?

Our anxieties are generally released through action. Are there concrete ways to become involved? For example, can you knock on people's doors? Can you make cold calls or send postcards? Then, when this election is over, you'll know you managed your anxiety in a way that helped motivate your communities in the direction you feel was most desirable.

Clinical Psychology Professor Katherine Marshall Woods reminded voters that their own health is the most important outcome of the election.

Q: Is checking your social media right now a good idea or a bad one?

That depends on how you're using it. Social media has its pros and cons. If you're just absorbing information and it's increasing your anxiety, then, yes, it is not going to be the most helpful avenue for you.

However, if you're metabolizing that information to generate new thoughts and new ideas, if you're able to fact check what you see on social media and then activate yourself and your communities, then social media can be a very helpful vehicle for you.

Q: You mentioned being around loved ones. But aren't they sometimes the problem too?

A: They can be. So be very thoughtful regarding who you are around right now. If you are already anxious and stressed, you may not want to be around other people who feel negative or helpless or equally-if not even more-anxious than you.

Instead, you may need to put yourself in an environment where a community can assuage your anxieties. You don't want other people to alarm you. You want them to calm you down.

Q: It can be hard to focus on healthy habits right now-like exercise or even sleep.

Well, I'm going to challenge that. This election is a very important moment in our lives. I'm not going to minimize that. But the only way we can really engage in these moments is if we're healthy enough for them. If we're losing sleep, if we're not eating, then this anxiety has become symptomatic, not just problematic. If that is the case, then we probably need greater support-not just from our friends or family, but from a mental health professional.

Q: Post-election, somebody is going to feel like the world is over. How can they feel less hopeless?

A: Well, we know the world won't be over, don't we? We've done this many times before-and the world doesn't end despite whomever gets elected.

Granted, you might not be happy. In that case, give yourself time to mourn. What does that look like for you? Do you need to mourn with the people who you were active with previously? Or do you want to go on vacation and just settle and regroup?

And then think about what you want to do for these next four years in order to make you feel in control of your lived experience. A politician obviously has power over the country. But you still have power and control over your own life.

Q: Let me flip that question around. If you are on the winning side of this election, what can you do to extend kindness to others?

A: It is obviously great to win. And it is great to celebrate. You ought to celebrate! But it's recommended to celebrate with insight and thoughtfulness for our neighbors who may not feel the same way.

Your neighbor may desire your support. If you can, offer them support with kindness. But if you can't because you feel so strongly about their position, share with them what you can and cannot do right now for them. You may need to let them know that they will have to find a listening ear from someone other than you.