I’m stressed about the upcoming elections. How can I practice self-care during elections season?

Elections season can be stressful. Elections bring on constant news updates, negative ads, difficult conversations with friends and family, and worry about the future. It’s completely normal to feel things like anxiety, sadness, frustration, disempowerment, and fatigue when elections are around the corner. These feelings tell us a lot about what’s important to us and what we hope for the future of our communities.

One way to manage election stress is to put those strong feelings into action: register to vote, support others in getting to their local polling station, or volunteer for a campaign or a cause that matters to you. Remind yourself that your voice matters and that you can bring about positive change in your community. You can visit NAMI’s #Vote4MentalHealth Campaign website to learn more about key policy issues affecting the mental health community and how your civic engagement can make a difference.

When election stress becomes too much, self-care can help. Strategies like spending less time online, setting boundaries about when and how you engage in political discussions, connecting with others, and using grounding and relaxation techniques can help you manage any overwhelming emotions that are getting in the way of daily life. Check out the following resources for more tips on how to practice self-care this elections season.

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