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Elections 2024 | Experts offer advice on how to cope with election anxiety as stress levels begin to rise

Elections 2024 | Experts offer advice on how to cope with election anxiety as stress levels begin to rise

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — With less than a week until Election Day, both presidential candidates are making their final push across the country.

Every day, people are bombarded online with political ads and political commentary that can be difficult to escape. According to a 2024 American Psychological Association study, 77% of American adults said the future of the nation is a major source of stress in their lives.

With North Carolina in the spotlight this campaign season, candidates and their running mates are making as many stops as possible in this final week. Stress and anxiety are rising among voters.

ABC11 spoke with Tonya Isreal, a psychology professor who wrote a book about “bridging the political divide.”

“Everything is urgent and urgent, and it keeps us at a level of stress that we haven’t had in the past,” Isreal said.

For Wake County voters like Kate Anchorstar, it was her first time campaigning for a political candidate, stepping outside her comfort zone to knock on doors.

Also see all the latest North Carolina political news here.

“I just started to feel “called to walk around the community and start talking to people.” I think sometimes we can get stuck in the echo chamber of close friends and family in our immediate circle,” Anchorstar said.

As she has tried to stay informed and involved, she admits to feeling an increased level of uncertainty.

“It can be alarming, especially the hateful rhetoric,” Anchorstar said. “I try to take it with a grain of salt and know that the most extreme voices are the ones that get promoted.”

According to the American Psychological Association’s stress survey, the overall average stress level this year was 5 out of 10 and was cited as a leading cause of politics.

Isreal offers these tips to help you cope.

  • Listen and try to find common ground and don’t demonize any group.
  • Control your consumption of political information and avoid using your phone before bed.

“One candidate will win. One candidate will not win. We may not know about this for some time. So it is useful to prepare us for this. So, one of the things we can do is make sure we have support, who we can talk to if we’re feeling stressed about the election results,” Isreal said.

As the holidays approach, experts recommend the same tips if the topic of politics comes up at the Thanksgiving table.

Keep in mind that you are not in a debate stage, and sometimes it is better to avoid the conversation altogether and focus on the common ground.

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