have never before considered the need for Election Day therapy, but I might for the 2020 presidential election. The last four years have been an unprecedented twist and turn of emotions and WTHs. Finally, Americans (and the world) are at the cliffhanger: Will President Trump get reelected? I suspect many people feel like they may go over the cliff if he wins, and some others will feel the same way if he doesn’t.
At least half the country probably suffered from some degree of distress in 2016, which may have worsened as Trump’s term unfolded. Election Day is the only hope many Americans (including those who’ve had a wake-up call since 2016) have had to cling to. The slow crawl to November 3, 2020 — the day of reckoning — has been nothing short of agonizing. And that’s why therapy for election anxiety is available and appointments are filling up.
“Because most people did not expect Trump to win in 2016, there is an increased sense of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming election (e.g., can we trust the polls?), and high levels of uncertainty tend to cause increased anxiety,” explains Jacqueline Bullis, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School who specializes in anxiety disorders. “With regard to the election, regardless of political affiliation, most people would agree that the 2020 presidential election is more divisive and hostile than any in recent memory.”
A 2020 Fox News poll shows that most Americans (70% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans) surveyed say our lives and our democracy are hanging in the balance with this election. A good friend broke the meaning of this election down in simple terms. She said you are either in one of two camps. You are on team America and stand for freedom, democracy, humanity, decency, diversity, and the opportunity for a better life — or you’re not. The issues at stake transcend political identity. I believe most Americans are aware of what’s at stake, but the stress of the election outcome going wrong is bearing down hard.
According to an October 2020 Harris “Stress in America” poll conducted for the American Psychological Association, more than three in four adults (77%) say our nation’s future is a significant stress factor, up from 2019 when 66% of adults said the same. And three in five (60%) of adults surveyed say the number of issues America faces is overwhelming to them.
For team America, the prospect of four more years of Trump’s theatrics and tweets, eliminating the Affordable Care Act, more questionable court appointments, amped racial division and injustice, unchecked Covid-19 infections and deaths, and a president who may lose but won’t leave… it’s all… well, you’ve seen the head-exploding emoji.
The day after the 2016 presidential election, I felt like a target was on my back as a woman of color. I experienced unparalleled fear and uncertainty. I knew racism and indecency had become normalized at the highest level of government and sensed it would trickle down, unmasking the worst in our nation. That election erased all of the hope and change from the last eight years in one night.
Americans are worried about things we never imagined. Will people be attacked at the polls for voting Democrat? Will our vote be fairly counted in a time where dishonesty is par for the course? How can we safely vote during a pandemic? Part of today’s lingering PTSD from 2016 is connected to a foreign actor possibly interfering with another U.S. election and — if you’re old enough to remember — the 2020 remix of hanging chads. I live in Georgia, so the thought of voting by mail is a bridge too far.
Americans were unprepared for the shock and awe in 2016, but this time many are bracing themselves for Armageddon. So what’s your game plan to get through the final stretch to Election Day and beyond? After all, the November 3 fallout will linger for a while if there is no peaceful transition of power.
“If you are struggling to cope with anxiety or stress, do not hesitate to seek treatment,” Bullis emphasizes. “Too often, people wait until their anxiety is really interfering with their lives before reaching out for [professional] help.” A silver lining of the pandemic is that therapy is more accessible than ever through telehealth, she notes.
Bullis offers some election coping tips you can try on your own, too:
- Refocus your attention on things you can control and practice acceptance of what is beyond your control.
- Limit exposure to news and other media if it is making your anxiety worse.
- Try practicing some strategies to promote feelings of hopefulness and resilience. One of the most effective techniques is a daily gratitude practice. Focusing on gratitude will help buffer against stress over time.
- Go outside. A growing number of studies have shown that spending just 20 minutes outside in a space that makes you feel connected with nature significantly reduces both psychological and physical stress levels.
