Election day is fast approaching and many people are at the end of their rope. Research shows that about 94 million Americans perceive politics as a significant source of stress. Some even lose sleep over politics, and others struggle with suicidal thoughts.

“The constant barrage of narratives of negativity and fear left me irritable, exhausted and anxious. Politics was killing my soul,” Rachel, an Indianapolis resident in her fifties, told Side Effects. “So for my sanity I decided to listen to more music and humorous podcasts like Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me on NPR.”

The test question this time is: What should you do to take care of your mental health during the election? That’s The Checkup question for today.

Public Media’s community engagement specialist Lizzy McGrevy spoke to health reporter Elizabeth Gabriel about it.

This transcript has been edited for length, style and clarity.

Lizzy McGrevy: There have been a lot of twists and turns during this election cycle. A new Democratic presidential candidate entered the race at the last minute and there were two assassination attempts on the Republican candidate. Not to mention that many people on both sides of the aisle are worried about the future of health care and other issues.

I’ve talked to a few people and they are very stressed about this election.

Elizabeth Gabriel: Yes, I hear a lot of people feel the same way. This category of mental health is known as sociopolitical stress. It has become prevalent in people who are more politically active compared to people who are not involved in politics.

McGrevy: Okay, so this actually has a name? tell me more WHO is it most affected by sociopolitical stress and how?

Gabriel: I spoke with Sarah Suzukiresearcher at the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. In 2020, she tracked sociopolitical stress before, during, and after the election. The people who struggle the most are the ones who are probably the most influenced by politics.

“LGBTQ plus youth as well as youth who are transgender women also tended to have greater socio-political stress. And in that specific research, we started to find a pattern of color youth, having those higher levels as well,” says Suzuki.

McGrevy: What are some of the signs or symptoms that someone is experiencing sociopolitical stress?

Gabriel: There are many factors. Some of these look like changes in sleep or appetite. Ruminating or looping thoughts that play over and over in your head are also a clue.

therapist Laurel Roberts-Meese says sociopolitical stress can exacerbate other mental health issues someone is already struggling with. Research shows that a little stress and anxiety is good for the body. But too much can be bad.

“We’re going to start seeing more tissue breakdown. We will see more neural networks that do not serve the person. We’ll see more trauma memories triggered, and chronic health conditions that are pre-existing will get worse,” says Roberts-Meese.

That’s why we have to be careful about how much we take on, which can look different for each person.

McGrevy: You know, Elizabeth, I thought I was eating a lot of Reese’s because it was Halloween season. Looks like it might just be my sociopolitical stress. So I’ll be sure to talk to my therapist about it. But I also can’t help but think – not everyone has the luxury of unplugging sometimes. For some people, political discourse can directly threaten their identity, core beliefs, or ability to stay in the country. So how do we juggle being engaged but also staying informed?

Gabriel: Therapists say checking news sources is really important, and signing up for newsletters could be a way to stay informed without being overwhelmed. But I’m also talking about limiting the time you spend on social media to make sure you’re not over-exposing yourself to frustrating or disturbing content. This can lead to indirect trauma.

“Victory trauma and continuous exposure to upsetting information is not the same as activism,” she says. “You can be an activist and not just constantly be the doomsayer. In fact, you’ll be more able to be an activist if you’re not constantly stressed.”

On election night, therapists say it’s okay not to watch the results. We all know this will be the main topic of conversation for the next few weeks, if not longer. It’s okay to do a puzzle or something more calming to keep your stress levels down.

Scheduling time to write down your worries about the election for about 20 minutes can also be helpful. And put your phone in another room before you go to bed so you don’t end up scrolling doom.

McGrevy: Looks like it might be time to dust off the old trusty alarm clock and maybe some of those election night puzzles and board games.

Gabriel: Yes, that sounds like a lot of fun.

McGrevy: You’re welcome to not stress about the election any time. Elizabeth, thanks for the great info.

The elections take place on November 5. Early voting in person will start soon or has started in most states. Check with your local polling and election agencies for more information.

The Checkup by Side Effects Public Media is a regular audio segment on WFYI’s daily podcast, WFYI News Now.

Contact WFYI health reporter Elizabeth Gabriel at [email protected].

Side Effects Public Media is a health reporting collaborative based at WFYI in Indianapolis. We partner with NPR stations in the Midwest and surrounding areas, including KBIA and KCUR in Missouri, Iowa Public Radio, Ideastream in Ohio, and WFPL in Kentucky.

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