Election Stress: Why It's So Hard and Tips to Make it Through
You see it in the news while having breakfast, and yard signs are all along your drive. Ads fill the breaks in your favorite shows and your scrolling, and the group chats get tense. Even if you plan to skip the debates and mute the commentary, you still run into it.
If you feel on edge, you're far from alone. The American Psychological Association's Stress in America survey found that 52% of adults called the 2016 presidential election a significant source of stress. That number rose to 68% in 2020 and 69% in 2024. The same survey found that registered Republicans (80%), Democrats (79%), and independents (73%) all rated the future of the nation as a significant source of stress. Stress about the country's direction crosses party lines.
With the U.S. elections arriving in November, many people are feeling election stress again. This post explains why election season affects your mind and body. It also shares practical skills from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Why Election Stress Builds
Your brain is built to watch out for threats, and it doesn't like not knowing what's coming next. An election is a big unanswered question about laws, money, safety, and the direction of your communities and the nation. Results typically come within a few days of Election Day, and until then, your mind keeps looking for any crumb of comfort about the potential results. Every poll, headline, and campaign ad gives it something new to react to, and your body responds as if there's a problem that needs to be resolved right now. That could mean a racing heartbeat or tension in your shoulders and jaw.
News apps and social feeds are designed to hold your attention, and angry or alarming content holds it best. Doomscrolling late at night, refreshing the election results, and reading comment sections keep your stress response active long after you've learned what you can.
Elections can also strain families and workplaces, and avoiding sensitive topics at the dinner table gets exhausting over time. Feeling unable to control the outcome often brings feelings of helplessness, which is common with election stress.
Signs Election Stress Is Building Up
Election stress can show up in a lot of different ways like having trouble sleeping or having a shorter fuse with your partner and kids or you might be checking your phone every few minutes and lose focus at work. Some people get headaches or an upset stomach. Others stop enjoying things they normally like or feel a jolt in their chest every time a news alert appears on their screen.
ACT Skills: Make Room for the Feeling and Choose Your Direction
ACT teaches that you can choose how you respond, even when you can't control what you feel or what's happening in the world. Here are three ideas from ACT that can help during election season and after it.
Start with defusion. Defusion means stepping back from a thought so it bothers you less. When your mind says, "Everything is falling apart," add a short phrase at the start: "I'm having the thought that everything is falling apart." The thought is still there, and now you're watching it from a step back. Some people say the thought in a silly voice or sing it to a tune. It sounds odd, and it reminds you that a thought is a string of words your mind produced, which may or may not be accurate.
Next comes willingness, the practice of letting a hard feeling be present without fighting it. Trying to push back against anxiety tends to make it stronger. Try to notice where the feeling sits in your body and just give a simple label, like “tightness in my chest, pressure in my stomach.” Then, breath slowly and deeply and just notice the feelings, emotional and physical. Don’t try to change anything, just notice. You can let the feelings be there while you go on with your day, even if you don’t like it.
After noticing your experience, focus on your values. Ask yourself what you want to stand for during this stressful time, whatever your politics are. Maybe its important for you to be patient with your family, stay informed without losing sleep, voting, volunteering, or just being present with your kids. Pick one small thing you can do that fits one of your values and do it this week. Acting on what is most important takes back some control over your day from anxiety.
CBT Skills: Check the Thought Before You Believe It
Thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical experiences all impact one another. CBT is built around that concept. Stress during election season often can come from thinking traps. One of the most common traps around politics is catastrophizing, which is when someone believes the absolute worst possible outcome is the most likely.
Another trap is mind-reading. It assumes that you know exactly what everyone on the other side thinks and believes. Lastly, All-or-nothing thinking shows up, someone could think that one outcome will either fix everything, or it will be a complete disaster.
It can be helpful to test your thoughts. Try writing it down and ask a few questions like “What evidence supports this or does it point the other direction? How many times have I tried to predict something and how many times did I actually get it right? If a close friend told me this is what they thought, what would I say to them?” After you’ve answered the questions, develop a more balanced version. That might sound like “This could be hard, but I still have options.” The more balanced versions tend to be less extreme and more accurate.
Part of CBT is a focus on behavior, so you can take a look at what you’re actually doing each day and make some changes. Set a limit on news consumptions. Pick a couple times a day to check the news or updates, and mute accounts the just upset you. Schedule things that lift your mood like a walk or having coffee or dinner with a friend. A person’s mood will often follow their behavior, so as hard as it might be, try to take action, even when you don’t quite feel up for it.
DBT Skills: Settle Your Body and Accept What You Can't Change
When emotions feel like they’re getting too big, DBT can provide you with tools that help you in those moments of higher intensity. Focusing on your body is the quickest place to start. Taking slow, timed breathing helps to calm your nervous system when stress is spiking. Breathe in for a slow count of four, then breath out for a count of six or eight. Keep repeating this for a few minutes till you notice yourself calming. You can also try progressive muscle relaxation. You start at your feet and work your way up your body by isolating and tensing one muscle group as your breath in, then hold a few seconds, then release as you breathe out.
Being mindful of the facts of a situation is also very useful. The idea is to separate what happened from what your mind is telling you about a situation. Write down the facts of a situation like a camera would record it, or how a sports announcer would describe a game. Then write what your mind has added in, what it’s telling you that it all means. Ask yourself whether your feelings match the facts and whether the reaction is appropriate for the situation. It’s easier to unhook from big emotions when you’ve taken a look at if they match the situation’s facts.
Reality can be brutal. Fighting an outcome that you can’t change just adds more suffering on top of the pain you’re already experiencing. You can accept that an election had an unwanted outcome and still vote and speak up about it afterward.
Talking With People Who See It Differently
When it comes to election season, it can get tense around the people you really care about, but you can work to improve that. You get to set limits on political talk, and a short, friendly script can be helpful to have ready: "I'd like to keep dinner relaxed, so let's talk about something else." If you do decide to discuss it, ask curious questions and listen to understand before you respond. When you notice yourself getting activated, either emotionally or physically, use the paced breathing mentioned earlier, or if you need, take a break. It’s absolutely possible to care about someone and disagree with them on big issues.
When Election Stress Needs More Support
Once election season passes, stress usually lets up quite a bit, but sometimes it does still longer after election day. If the feelings you’re having feel unmanageable or taking up too much space in your mind, it might point to something like anxiety or depression. Sleep issues that last more than a couple of weeks, panic attacks, constant dread, heavier drinking are possible signs of an issue. CBT, ACT, and DBT are all common therapy types that therapists use to treat anxiety and emotional stress, and a therapist can help tailor them to your situation.
For some people, stress can feel like it’s too much or that there’s no hope. If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline anytime.
Other Suggested Blog Posts: How to Manage Stress with Therapy, Understanding Anxiety & How Therapy Can Help.
Written by Hunter Cook, MSML, LPC/MHSP (S), LPC, LCMHC
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