The state of American politics has become positively toxic the last few years and is reaching a boiling point currently. The word divisive comes up often, but it seems to be way beyond that lately.
In fact, anxiety is on the rise thanks to this polarization. People are stressed, obsessed and dug in like never before. I think we have to go back to the Civil War to see a country more divided than we are seeing right now.
Moving to Canada is not an option for many. So how can we deal with our mental health during a crazy timeline like the one in which we are living?
In this article, we will go over the ways out mental health is affected by the political climate and what we can do about it.
Anxiety on the rise
Regardless of which side of the political aisle you sit, people all agree that the country is not headed in the right direction. Because of this, the bickering and political debate has anxiety becoming a real issue.
Many people feel stress during an election season as they want their party or candidate to win. But, this year it is particularly stressful as both sides feel like there is a lot to lose. Because of that, many are heading to their therapists for help.
Anxiety can take over your life and make everyday situations a struggle to deal with.
To overcome this, remember to practice meditation and yoga to recenter your mind and relieve some of the anxiety. These are natural stress relievers and do wonders to reduce anxiety.
A feeling of hopelessness
The way the election works in the US is so convoluted that many people feel their vote doesn’t matter. If you live in a Red State and want to vote for the Democrats, then it feels like your vote is wasted.
And even if you want to vote Republican, if your vote feels like a foregone conclusion and will win the electoral college delegates, but it’s not enough to win, then it feels wasted even there since it doesn’t go by popular vote.
The flip side works in a Blue State.
This system has people feeling hopeless and desperate. When a segment of the population loses faith in the democratic process, it is a slippery slope for both the country and the individual.
This hopelessness can manifest itself in feeling melancholy and depressed. It can infect many other areas of your life that require focus and energy that you seem to be missing.
How can you feel more hope? Get involved in the election process.
Start volunteering for your candidate or party. Have a get out the vote drive and help elderly and handicapped people get registered. Or run a shuttle to polling places for people with no transportation.
By getting involved you feel like you are active and taking some sort of control over a process that is complicated and confusing.