If the high stakes presidential election is causing troublesome thoughts, existential dread or rifts with loved ones, there鈥檚 no need to white knuckle through it.
Take a deep breath. Literally.
Meditation and mindfulness teacher Rosie Acosta says focusing on each inhale and exhale can help regain that grounding sense of control that may be drowned out by the spiraling uncertainty of election season. Experts like Acosta, who works in Southern California for Headspace, a mental health company and app, want those struggling to know there are ways to lighten election-induced stress and navigate related tensions.
鈥淚 can control how I鈥檓 breathing. 鈥� I can use my mindfulness practice and stay in the present moment, instead of worrying about what the outcome is going to be with an election,鈥� said Acosta, who contributed the guided meditations 鈥淪urviving Dinner Table Debates鈥� and 鈥淐ompassion During Campaign Season鈥� to Headspace鈥檚 鈥減olitics without panic鈥� collection.
鈥淵ou forget how much power we actually have over this tension and this anxiety.鈥�
This year鈥檚 campaign has already witnessed unexpected twists and turns with President Joe Biden鈥檚 exit from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris鈥� quick ascendance among Democrats as well as鈥� 鈥痶argeting Republican presidential nominee former President .
And roughly 鈥痓elieve the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of U.S. democracy, although which candidate they think poses the greater threat depends on their political leanings, according to a survey from The鈥� .
Mindfulness and setting boundaries
Acosta recalled how, back in 2016, political divisions seeped into a Christmas family gathering, turning an occasion for joy, connection and nostalgia into a 鈥済round for verbal war.鈥�
In navigating the aftermath, she said she learned to establish boundaries in the relationship with a relative and to focus on things that brought them together, rather than drew them apart. That could mean saying "'We鈥檙e not talking about this right now; let鈥檚 talk about something else,鈥欌�� disengaging from an unhelpful conversation, ignoring a sent political meme, she said, or bringing up a shared memory, instead of discussing the latest news.
鈥淢indfulness and meditation really help us reframe our relationships 鈥� our relationships in general, but, specifically, our relationship to our thoughts,鈥� she said.
Headspace has also partnered with When We all Vote, a national nonpartisan voting initiative created by former first lady , to provide eligible voters with some free resources to ease election-season anxiety. There's a stress quiz to determine if you鈥檙e 鈥渢he collected constituent,鈥� 鈥渢he overwhelmed optimist,鈥� 鈥渢he weary worrier,鈥� or 鈥渢he politically panicked.鈥� The partnership also includes a voting registration portal.
鈥淭his is really intended to reach folks regardless of political affiliation or points of view,鈥� said Headspace鈥檚 president, Christine Evans. 鈥淩egardless of who you are, you deserve mental health and support when you need it.鈥�
Skills for disagreeing better
The Rev. Cynthia O鈥橞rien often sees some people getting especially nervous around Thanksgiving.
鈥淭hanksgiving is people you love, but you might not see all the time,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hear people saying, 鈥極h, my relatives in Texas think I have gone off the deep end, that they won鈥檛 talk to me,鈥� or 'my sister-in-law and I aren鈥檛 speaking鈥� and it鈥檚 simply the political polarization that has come between.鈥�
One suggestion, she said, is not to have such conversations at the dinner table and opt instead for one-on-one chats.
O鈥橞rien is no stranger to being in a room with people with different ideologies.
Based in Oregon, she鈥檚 the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Woodburn and Aurora Presbyterian Church, with small congregations that include conservatives and progressives.
She鈥檚 also a national debate chair and a workshop moderator with , a nonprofit that does depolarization work. Workshops she moderates include ones teaching skills for disagreeing better.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to smooth over differences. We鈥檙e teaching skills to bring out the differences in a responsible, loving, caring way," she said.
Goals include having more understanding of the values and concerns of those who differ politically. Workshop participants are taught to listen carefully, acknowledge the other鈥檚 view before sharing their own, pivot to signal they鈥檙e about to share theirs and exchange perspectives such as by sharing a personal story behind their viewpoint or the source of information for their position.
They鈥檙e instructed to let go of the expectation of convincing others that they鈥檙e wrong.
鈥淥ur democracy requires us to talk through the disagreement and not just to shout at each other,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
Normalizing the experience and practicing self-care
Dr. Petros Levounis, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said 鈥減eople who feel particularly anxious about the election should rest assured that they are not alone.鈥�
He stressed the importance of taking care of one鈥檚 physical health, getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising regularly. While such practices may sound 鈥渁 little banal,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e just so central to our well-being.鈥�
Also, make time to relax and 鈥減erhaps having some breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness; these are things that people have found quite helpful.鈥�
Levounis cautioned against relying on alcohol to calm nerves, saying it 鈥渋nvariably increases anxiety in the long run and I鈥檓 not talking about months and years. ... A few hours after heavy consumption of alcohol, the anxiety increases."
In the cases when anxiety becomes debilitating and is interfering with work or life at home, he recommends talking to a mental health professional or one鈥檚 primary care physician.
Taking action and being mindful of news intake, social media use
Some universities have also been providing their students with resources to manage election stress.
鈥淲e definitely have some students that really think a lot about politics and are aware of how that impacts them,鈥� said Shauna Olson Hong, director of counseling services at California State University, East Bay. Those include some from LGBTQ+ communities or who are undocumented or have family members who are, she said.
The counseling center has been offering tips online. Those include limiting news intake, being especially careful about checking news immediately before sleep, vetting news sources to follow reputable ones and being mindful of social media use.
Other suggestions include seeking support and thinking about ways to be engaged and to affect positive change while maintaining balance.
鈥淛ust sitting around and worrying and feeling like I don鈥檛 have any control over what鈥檚 going to happen to me is a terrible place to sit and I think that really builds our anxiety,鈥� said Hong. 鈥淪o trying to take realistic action to speak out for what we believe in.鈥�
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Mariam Fam, The Associated Press
