Feeling stressed about the election? Here’s what some are doing and what they say you can do too

(AP News) If the high-stakes presidential election is causing troublesome thoughts, existential dread, or rifts with loved ones, there’s no need to white knuckle through it.

Take a deep breath. Literally.

Meditation and mindfulness teacher Rosie Acosta says focusing on each inhale and exhale can help regain that grounding sense of control that may be drowned out by the spiraling uncertainty of election season. Experts like Acosta, who works in Southern California for Headspace, a mental health company and app, want those struggling to know there are ways to lighten election-induced stress and navigate related tensions.

Free Woman Behind a Sign and Holding an American Flag Stock Photo“I can control how I’m breathing. … I can use my mindfulness practice and stay in the present moment, instead of worrying about what the outcome is going to be with an election,” said Acosta, who contributed the guided meditations “Surviving Dinner Table Debates” and “Compassion During Campaign Season” to Headspace’s “politics without panic” collection.

“You forget how much power we actually have over this tension and this anxiety.”

This year’s campaign has already witnessed unexpected twists and turns with President Joe Biden’s exit from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris’ quick ascendance among Democrats as well as assassination attempts  targeting Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump.

And roughly 3 in 4 American adults  believe the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of U.S. democracy, although which candidate they think poses the greater threat depends on their political leanings, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Mindfulness and setting boundaries

Acosta recalled how, back in 2016, political divisions seeped into a Christmas family gathering, turning an occasion for joy, connection and nostalgia into a “ground for verbal war.”

In navigating the aftermath, she said she learned to establish boundaries in the relationship with a relative and to focus on things that brought them together, rather than drew them apart. That could mean saying “‘We’re not talking about this right now; let’s talk about something else,’” disengaging from an unhelpful conversation, ignoring a sent political meme, she said, or bringing up a shared memory, instead of discussing the latest news.

“Mindfulness and meditation really help us reframe our relationships — our relationships in general, but, specifically, our relationship to our thoughts,” she said.

Headspace has also partnered with When We all Vote, a national nonpartisan voting initiative created by former first lady Michelle Obama, to provide eligible voters with some free resources to ease election-season anxiety. There’s a stress quiz to determine if you’re “the collected constituent,” “the overwhelmed optimist,” “the weary worrier,” or “the politically panicked.” The partnership also includes a voting registration portal.

“This is really intended to reach folks regardless of political affiliation or points of view,” said Headspace’s president, Christine Evans. “Regardless of who you are, you deserve mental health and support when you need it.”

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