Weve been submerged inanxietyfor months now and the election is poised to feel like the culmination of it all.
For a lot of us, it will be impossible to look awayor to feel okay.
So we talked to some mental health experts to get their tips.
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First, theres no right way to spend Election Day.
Or maybe you want to distract yourself by any means possible, but cant help feeling like youshouldbe engaged.
You knew I was going to say this, but: Set social media boundaries.
And 2020 stress in general.
Even if its just the bathroom.
Here are some other quick ideas for boundaries:
3.
Decide where youre going to get your news updates.
Speaking of social media, its not a great primary source ofnews.
Unreliable news sources only add to anxiety.
If you cant look away, aim to taketiny, tinybreaks.
A low bar on Election Day is your friend, because a littleself-careis better than nothing.
If it’s possible for you to only last five minutes, thats okay, she says.
Maybe next time it’s possible for you to try 10.
Have a support system, whatever that looks like for you.
Youve heard it before and youll hear it again.
Having people to lean on is great for your mental health.
But thats one upside of technology.
If you dont have anyone you trust to be your support for the night, thats okay.
Social media has its upsides on election night, and you know yourself to weigh the pros and cons.
Set boundaries with people in your life too.
Like weve mentioned, everyones approach to Election Day will be different.
double-check to check with your people to see what page theyre on.
If thats the case, give people a heads up!
And you want to check that youre not inadvertently adding to other peoples stress too.
So ensure to communicate before live-texting your anxiety spiral to the group chat.
Lean into basic self-care.
But if you dont, thats okay.
These things really do mitigate the effects of stress and anxiety.
Same goes for meditation and deep breathing, she adds.
Schedule out your day ahead of time.
Outlining aroutineis a tried and true therapy trick for keeping yourself on track.
It can be from the moment you wake up to the moment that you go to bed.
Just confirm it feels realistic.
Find a way to help out, big or small.
There are virtual volunteer opportunities available, like working on avoter assistance hotline.
Consider not drinking (or cutting back).
Listen, no judgment from me if youve been planning to drink to get through election night.
But (and theres always a but, isnt there?)
Because if the goal is to numb out your emotions, alcohol might have the opposite effect.
Alcoholis a depressant and I always have to remind people of that, says Fialk.
Plus, not for nothing, but you might want to look out for Future You too.
So, do with that what you will.
And hey, if youre going to drink, at leastplan some hangover self-careahead of time.
This might be running in place as fast as you could for 30 seconds.
Have some backup distractions.
When in doubt, its okay to decide youve had enough of election night and go intofull distraction mode.
Its a time to use coping mechanisms that aren’t going to make the distress any worse.
Lastly, hey be kind to yourself.
Because, look, election night might just be kind of a shit show for your mental health.
You might wind up disregarding every tip on this list.
You might just focus on getting through whatever way you might.
Everything that’s going on right now is completely unprecedented, says Fialk.
I think its important to remember that and to be very careful and forgiving with yourself during this time.
Nobody is going to do this perfectly.
