Election Day is finally here and most of us are either stressing out about it — or trying not to.
In a year we’ve dealt with banner blows to every aspect of our wellbeing, this is the week of peak anxiety, according to experts. There’s even a term for it — “election stress disorder.”
A recent report by the American Psychological Association shows more than two-thirds — nearly 70% — of American adults say the 2020 U.S. presidential election is a significant source of stress in their lives. The survey shows that anxiety is even worse for people of color.
“It’s a lot of fearfulness, a number of mixed emotions ? people with fear and hypervigilance — constantly searching the news and being on whatever social media outlet you have, and getting these messages,” Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Dr. Robert Bright said in a recent interview. “I was watching the television this morning, and every commercial has this catastrophic message, ‘If you vote for this guy or that guy, horrific, catastrophic things are going to happen.’ And that constant message creates a sense of anxiety and fear, and diffusely feeling overwhelmed in ourselves,” he added.
We can’t stop crazy Uncle Ted or our high school Facebook “friends” from sharing misleading memes or even spreading downright dangerous misinformation. But we can take back some semblance of control.
Check out our series of articles on tips loaded with helpful tech tools to help you combat fake news and not stress out (too much) about the election.