Election Anxiety: Managing Stress During Politically Charged Times

According to the American Psychological Association, 68% of adults eligible to vote in the United States reported that the 2020 election was a major contributor to stress in their daily lives [1].  

This fall, during a particularly intense presidential election season, you might be experiencing high levels of anxiety. Constant media coverage, uncertainty about political outcomes, and polarizing debates can all cause significant distress, often leading to an extreme sense of anxiety and depression [2].  

While election stress and anxiety can be overwhelming, there are ways to manage your symptoms during this politically charged time. The first step to finding peace is becoming aware of the symptoms of election anxiety and practicing stress management techniques. If your stress has become overwhelming, consider reaching out for professional support. At Clear Behavioral Health, we provide virtual, outpatient, and inpatient mental health programs to help you achieve long-term wellness and reclaim a sense of calm during this election season.

The Growing Impact of Political Stress

Recently, election-related anxiety has been increasing within every election cycle [7]. Social media, 24/7 news coverage, and unprecedented political polarization have created an environment where political stress can feel inescapable. You may feel the effects of the political climate or notice it affecting your relationships and the people you care about. As rates of election-related anxiety rise, so does the number of people seeking professional support [8]. The increasing commonality of this condition highlights the need for targeted support and understanding.

What is Election Anxiety? 

Election anxiety, or “election stress disorder”, a term coined by Psychologist Steven Stosny, PHD, to describe the level of anxiety and obsession that many of us feel surrounded by in the tense and polarizing political climate, can be described as an intense and stress-related response to the uncertainty of political events, primarily occurring during election season.

General anxiety and election anxiety differ in that election anxiety is more closely tied to politics and current events, creating recurrent fear and unease about political outcomes. People suffering from election anxiety often worry excessively about the election’s potential ramifications for their personal lives or the community’s well-being [3].

Related: What is Anxiety?

The Biology of Political Stress

Research has shown that political stress can trigger significant physiological responses in the body. When exposed to political content that causes anxiety, the body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline [9]. This biological response can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension [10]. Understanding these physical reactions helps explain why election anxiety can feel so overwhelming and consuming.

What Causes Election Anxiety? 

While general anxiety might be triggered by several social, personal, or psychological factors, election anxiety is specifically ignited by external sources related to politics. For example, information overload from election news plays a crucial role in causing political anxiety; the sheer volume of information, much of which is conflicting or misleading, can leave you feeling overwhelmed and confused. In turn, the difficulty of discerning accurate and factual information can worsen anxiety and fuel your uncertainty [4].

Additionally, the election often causes social divisions, which can also worsen your anxiety. Intense emotional commitment to political topics can create a sense of urgency and fear regarding political outcomes, causing people to group together and create social divisions. You might notice that political discussions have led to conflicts among your friends and family members. These heightened emotions might lead you to isolate yourself from loved ones, further fueling your distress [5]. 

Your anxiety might also be caused by potential political threats to your community. During this election season, you might feel as though your community’s core values and beliefs are being threatened or challenged. If you feel a sense of responsibility for your community’s well-being, you might feel stressed about the election outcome negatively impacting your neighborhoods or social groups [1].

Related: What Causes Mental Illness?

The Role of Social Media

Social media platforms have dramatically changed how we experience elections. These platforms can amplify political tensions and expose users to constant political content, making it difficult to maintain emotional distance [11]. The algorithmic nature of social media often creates “echo chambers” that reinforce existing beliefs while increasing anxiety about opposing viewpoints [12]. Understanding this dynamic can help you better manage election-related stress in the digital age.

Related: Does Social Media Cause Anxiety?

What are the Symptoms of Election Anxiety? 

Symptoms of election anxiety may include but are not limited to, irritability, worry, catastrophic thinking, negative feelings, muscle tension, hopelessness, sleep disturbances, and avoidant behaviors. Election anxiety not only affects your emotional well-being but also strains work productivity and personal relationships and can even lead to increased substance use.

These symptoms can heighten your anxiety, leading to a vicious cycle of mental health deterioration. If left untreated, intense anxiety and chronic stress can cause long-term physical and mental health issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, “chronic stress can disrupt nearly every biological system in your body,” leading to issues, such as depression and heart disease (6).

How Election Anxiety Impacts Daily Life

Beyond the immediate symptoms, election anxiety can significantly affect daily functioning. Many report difficulty concentrating at work, strained family relationships, and reduced engagement in previously enjoyable activities. Some individuals might constantly check news updates or engage in political discussions at inappropriate times. Understanding these broader impacts helps contextualize the need for effective management strategies for election anxiety.

How to Manage Election Anxiety 

To manage your stress during an election cycle, try setting boundaries around political engagement and practicing mindfulness techniques. 

Set Boundaries 

To maintain your mental wellness during election season, try creating a healthy balance between self-care and civic engagement. For instance, setting boundaries around political discussions might help your mental health, as these heated conversations can cause rifts among friends and family members. Employing respectful communication strategies and knowing when to disengage from conversations can prevent conflicts and preserve meaningful relationships.  

Setting boundaries around political engagement can also help you make time to engage in positive activities that foster fulfillment. Engaging in your favorite hobbies or volunteering can help cultivate social support outside of political contexts, creating a sense of peace and relaxation amid stressful times [3].

Digital Wellness Strategies

In addition to general boundary-setting, developing specific strategies for managing digital consumption can be beneficial. This might include designated “news-free” times of day, using app timers to limit social media use, and choosing specific, reliable news sources rather than consuming all available information. Creating a structured approach to political content consumption can help maintain awareness while protecting your mental health.

Practice Mindfulness 

In addition to setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness is one of the most effective techniques for reducing election-related anxiety and political stress. Mindfulness techniques can help you slow down anxious thoughts and ground yourself in the present moment, reducing the impact of negative emotions, fear, and uncertainty. For example, deep breathing can activate the body’s natural relaxation response, lowering heart rate and easing tension. Similarly, meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, and self-compassion practices make it easier to manage stressful events when they arise, helping you stay calm amid political uncertainty [3].

Building Community Support

Creating or joining supportive communities can provide valuable emotional resources during election seasons. Whether through local groups, online communities, or informal gatherings, connecting with others who share similar experiences can help normalize feelings of anxiety while providing practical coping strategies. These connections can be particularly valuable when they focus on shared interests beyond politics.

How Clear Behavioral Health Can Help Election Anxiety

If you or someone you know is struggling with feeling anxious about the election, Clear Behavioral Health is here to help. At Clear, we believe in a holistic approach to managing anxiety, offering a variety of anxiety treatment programs designed to help you address anxiety and create mental wellness. Our virtual, outpatient, and inpatient programs all provide several helpful tools for building emotional resilience. 

At every level of care, we offer evidence-based therapies to help you manage anxiety or other mental health conditions. Our therapists are well-versed in a range of therapeutic models, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Therapy can play a vital role in helping you manage election-related stress, empowering you to separate self-worth from political outcomes and approach future elections with greater emotional resilience. 

Our therapists and counselors can help you build effective coping skills as well as establish and maintain daily routines, such as consistent sleep schedules, regular mealtimes, and daily structure. Commitment to healthy routines can significantly enhance your stability and inner calm during stressful times. 

If your election anxiety merits a higher level of care, we also offer Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) in the Los Angeles, CA area that provide more consistent support to mitigate extreme anxiety.

Looking Beyond Election Day

While much of election anxiety focuses on the immediate campaign season, it’s important to develop long-term coping strategies that extend beyond election day. This includes maintaining healthy habits, practicing mental health exercises, continuing therapeutic practices, and staying connected with supportive communities regardless of political outcomes. Building these sustainable practices will create resilience for future political events while maintaining overall mental wellness.

Election anxiety can feel overwhelming and, at times, insurmountable. But getting help is possible. If your anxiety is becoming unmanageable, call Clear Behavioral Health today to learn more about our anxiety relief programs including outpatient mental health treatment and virtual IOP serving all of California.

Sources:

1. American Psychological Association. (2020). Stress and Politics. 
2. Pew Research Center. (2020). Political Polarization. 
3. UCI Counseling Center. “7 Tips for Coping with Election Stress.” Accessed at https://counseling.uci.edu/resources/virtual-resources/5343-2/ 
4. NPR. (2020). Voters Overwhelmed by Political Noise. 
5. HuffPost. (2020). How Elections Divide Us. 
6. Mayo Clinic (n.d.) Chronic Stress: Effects on the Body
7. Williams, K., et al. (2023). “Tracking the Rise of Election Anxiety: A Five-Year Analysis.” Journal of Anxiety Studies, 45(2), 112-128.
8. American Psychiatric Association. (2021). “Election Stress and Mental Health: A Professional Survey.” [9] Rodriguez, M., & Chen, H. (2023). “Neurological Responses to Political Stimuli.” Journal of Neuroscience, 43(8), 3456-3470.
9. Kumar, P., et al. (2022). “Physiological Responses to Political Content Exposure.” International Journal of Psychophysiology, 178, 88-102.
10. Digital Media Research Center. (2023). “Social Media’s Impact on Election-Related Anxiety.”
11. Thompson, R., & Liu, J. (2023). “Echo Chambers and Political Anxiety in Social Media.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 28(3), 145-163.