What to Know
- Feeling stressed and anxious? You aren't alone.
- Sixty-eight percent of American adults say the election is a significant source of stress, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association -- a dramatic increase from 52 percent back in 2016.
- However, according to that same survey, 7 out of 10 Americans are hopeful about the future.
Feeling stressed and anxious? You aren't alone.
Stores are beginning to be boarded up ahead of the election amid fears of unrest and the political unknown. On top of the political uncertainty, COVID-19 fears and safety guidelines -- including waiting on long, socially distant lines -- are still present.
“We are going to hightail it out of here after we vote," a woman on a New York City street told News 4. "There could be some protests or unrest.“
“I mean you walk down the street and see them boarding up all the stores. It’s scary," another said.
Sixty-eight percent of American adults say the election is a significant source of stress, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association -- a dramatic increase from 52 percent back in 2016.
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“What we are all experiencing is something called 'existential angst,'" Harris Stratyner, a psychologist, told News 4 New York. "We are all fearing for our own existence."
A constant stream of information and campaign coverage can be overwhelming and hard to turn away from, so what can people do to strike a balance?
“Just walk around the apartment. Try to play some relaxing music. Try to play a game if you can, believe it or not. Solitaire. Something," Stratyner said.
Doctors also say productive engagement — like early voting — can help.
"I think it has been an outlet," Stratyner.
If anything unites us these days it is stress. The vast majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents all say that the political process is stressing them out.
But we also have something else in common. According to that same survey, 7 out of 10 Americans are hopeful about the future.
“We’ve got to realize yesterday is over. Tomorrow is not here. Let’s stay in the moment," Stratyner said.
Stress, like long lines, is sometimes part of our world, whether it is voting for a president or buying a gallon of milk. We all must learn how to manage it.
