Do you have election fatigue?
How many more days until November 5?!
Election fatigue is real. The American Psychological Association cited a Pew poll that found 65% of U.S. adults always or often felt exhausted by politics, and 55% felt angry.
The stress in part comes from the weight of the topics being debated, such as reproductive rights, gun control or the economy.
University Health Behavioral Health psychologists offer the following suggestions to stress less this election cycle:
- Try to limit politics in your interpersonal relationships. If you can’t agree on anything else, agree to avoid talking about politics. And if politics are straining a relationship that’s important to you, do your best to separate that person from their party. Try to remember what originally connected you with a friend.
- Recognize what you can and can’t control. Arguing with your cousin Carol isn’t going to get your candidate into the Oval Office. Instead, focus that energy into volunteering for a cause you believe in.
- Know when to say when. There isn’t an hour of the day when you can’t turn on the television or scan social media for political news. Set a time limit on “doom scrolling” and avoid aggravating headlines before bedtime.