How to Deal With Election Anxiety as a Highly Sensitive Person
Election Day is coming up rapidly and with what’s already been a stressful (understatement…) year, going into election season is adding a whole new level of stress. So while it’s more important than ever to be involved - it’s also important to take care of yourself too.
1. Step Away From (insert activity that increases election anxiety)
To start, it’s important to notice the moments during the day when your anxiety is higher. Do you feel more tension in your chest after listening to the news? Do you notice having a headache after you have a talk with friends about their own election anxiety? The good thing about all of these areas is that you can actually control them. You can limit the amount of news, social media, and conversations with friends that you have around the election. Before you turn on the news first thing in the morning - pause and check-in with yourself. Is the news what you need right now? If not, turn on some music or a podcast. Better yet talk to your partner, pet, or plants. They need you too.
2. Set Limits
It’s so easy to get pulled into the election conversations when we’re around friends, family, or community members. Especially as highly sensitive people we can fall into that role of being a caretaker/listener/emotional laborer, but as a HSP, it’s also ok to step away from those conversations or set limits on it. A good rule of thumb right now is to be explicit about our needs (we can’t expect people to be mind readers). So the next time you see your election loving friend send them a quick text beforehand that says, “Let’s only talk about the election for 15 minute max. I’m needing some space from it right now. Can’t wait to see you.” That way you both know what to expect, and they might also be relieved to get a break from the overwhelm of the election.
3. Renew Your Toolbox
Your old toolbox that was filled with self-care practices might not work quite as well as it did before - so check in with what is possible right now. Did you used to love meditation and now the silence is overwhelming? Then maybe shorten your meditation time and also go for a walk. Does meditation not work at all anymore? That’s ok - maybe what’s needed right now is to skip it and replace it with something that brings even 5% more calm to your day. It’s important to remember that the goal isn’t to feel 100% calmer (although that would be amazing). The goal is to feel any type of shift - and if that’s a small shift then that’s great.
4. Find Your Own Space Where the Election Isn’t Invited
Where is your sacred space right now? Maybe it’s a quiet corner in your home, a space in the woods, a trail that you love to walk on, or a sidewalk in the city that feels comforting. Before you enter that space it’s important to intentionally put the election anxiety somewhere else. I like to imagine putting my anxiety into a small box outside of my apartment where it can stay before I go for a walk. It doesn’t mean that we are ignoring the anxiety, it’s just that we’re giving it permission just to be quiet for a little bit. If it tries to join you just acknowledge its presence and move back into YOUR space.
5. Create an Election Day Plan
I think this is the most important one of all. You voted, so now what? On the actual day of the election how are you going to take care of yourself? Do you need to be alone, or do you need to be with someone else within your community? This might be an important day to take off work and set your limits. As a HSP we feel other people's emotions so deeply, so it’s important to step away from other people’s election day anxiety as well. Remember too that we might not know the results right away as this year is different with the amount of mail-in ballots that need to be counted. So that pre AND post election anxiety needs a lot of care and compassion.
