How To Cope With Election Stress & Existential Dread
Well, it’s that time of year when political campaigns seem to infiltrate and inundate social media and everyday life with reminders to vote. Regardless of which candidate you vote for, election years can stir up feelings of despair, hopelessness, uncertainty and fear for our future. This existential dread not only impacts our mental health and well being, but it can also impact our relationships.
This “dread” can sometimes push us into isolation and impact the way we engage with our friends, family, and the world around us. When we begin to think about the state of our world, the future of our country and our fundamental rights as human beings, we begin to feel the gravity of the situation and feel the weighted impact our voice has on marginalized communities within our state and country. When we begin to think about the state of our nation, we can find ourselves slipping deeper and deeper into despair and seasonal depression that isolates and impacts our mental health and wellbeing. Existential dread can happen to anyone at any time, but it often rears its head during major life transitions such as leaving for college, getting married or voting for the next president.
Existential dread can look like:
Worrying about the future
Depression, feelings of guilt or hopelessness
Isolation or avoidance of relationships
Lack of motivation or energy
Obsessive and ruminating thoughts
When we start to think about our place within society, the gravity of the situation may begin to weigh heavily on the mind. Our vote not only impacts ourselves, but it impacts our communities and people around us. That’s a lot of responsibility! So how can we navigate this election season without feeling the weight of existential dread? Here are some helpful tips and strategies you can implement in your life when the weight becomes too much.
Tips and strategies to combat existential dread during election time
Journal - writing down your thoughts and feelings is a great way to process and identify patterns that might be “blind spots.”
Mindfulness - try a new breathing exercise, go for a walk, focus on your senses to experience the world around you, or ground yourself through mantras or meditation
Engage in community outreach - volunteer or support local or national organizations that champion your rights and the rights of others.
Therapy - find a safe and supporting space where you can process sensitive topics that are weighing on you
However you choose to alleviate some of the stress induced by the election, make it meaningful to you. Everyone experiences existential dread at some point in their lives, but it doesn’t have to control you. Try one of these strategies or come up with your own. The beauty is, there is no right or wrong way as long as it is helpful to you.
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Interested in Online & In-person Counseling Services for Anxiety & Existential Dread?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Counseling for anxiety and existential dread aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office.
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Ali Miller, Counseling Intern
