Recognizing that elections can be hard on your emotions, here are some tips that may help you manage your feelings amid the anxiety and uncertainty.
While we wait for election results, many people may experience anxiety and uncertainty. Obstacles, unexpected news and changes in the process could cause emotional instability, driven by what you consume on social media, television or radio.
Christina Cotto, a mental health therapist at Clear View Health and Wellness Group in Massachusetts, said the atmosphere can turn hostile and violent among people who are anxious about the changes that have taken place in the voting process.
For Cotto, social media can have a significant impact on anxiety levels because of the high degree of exposure. "The more you feed on that fluctuating uncertainty, the more anxiety increases," she said.
Tips for managing your emotions during the electoral process
There is also the possibility that the election results will not be what you hoped for. Even so, according to the mental health therapist, "we need to develop the ability to accept defeat in life in peaceful ways."
For that reason, the therapist advised following this list of tips:
Limit social media use
Practice relaxation activities
Exercise
Read books
Talk with family
These electoral processes require developing skills that support mental preparation and emotional control, to avoid significant effects on our well-being.
One of Cotto's recommendations that can go a long way toward regulating emotions is to avoid disrespectful interactions, online and in person. "Elections pass, and we are left with what we said, how we treated people and the division we created. That is what remains," she said.
Cotto calls for learning about emotional regulation, since "it will help us act in healthy ways when faced with adversity in life." For that reason, she said, "counseling and taking care of your mental health is a good tool for learning healthy emotional regulation skills."
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
