stress and anxiety in the U.S. have increased sharply because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — then add in inflation, an ongoing war overseas, climate change, reproductive rights, mass shootings and you can have yourself a stress monster. "Every therapist I know is full up with people who are really experiencing so much stress," said Tania Israel, professor of counseling psychology at U.C.
Santa Barbara and author of "Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work." "The pandemic, politics, there’s so much going on right now, racial injustice, there’s so many things happening that it seems like there’s something every day that’s really upsetting to us and it is hard to handle it." Politics is a stressor for many because the results have real-life consequences, although not always immediate.
As a citizen of the United States, figuring out how to address these issues through voting can be particularly stressful and cause anxiety.
With midterms underway and the next presidential election right around the corner, here are some tips on how to cope and stay healthy — mentally and physically — through election season.