Feeling election anxiety? Try these tips to better cope

This story is part of our mental health series. Find out more here.

The presidential election is less than three weeks away, and the stakes are incredibly high.

The polls are incredibly close, swinging toward one candidate, and then another. It’s taking many of us on an emotional ride.

According to an annual poll from the American Psychiatric Association, 73% of adults surveyed said they’re feeling anxiety about the election.

“There is a lot of worry and ruminating and fear about what may be happening, and it would be normal to perseverate on all of the information that we're collecting right now,” says Jeff Guenther, a licensed therapist and author of the book, “Big Dating Energy.” He also hosts a TikTok account called Therapy Jeff.

3 questions with Jeff Guenther

How can you avoid being pulled into the swirl of political news and information?

“Well, I want you to first ask yourself whenever you're discussing or consuming political information, ask yourself, ‘How is this affecting my mental health?’ Sometimes just simply becoming aware of the impact that that information is having on you can make a huge difference. It's sort of the least that you can do for your well-being.

“But I also want you to ask yourself, ‘What can you control?’ One thing I always remind people is that while we can't control the election outcome, we can control our own actions. So voting, volunteering or getting involved in your community are great ways to feel proactive, kind of like shifting your focus to what you can do is empowering and can alleviate some of that feeling of helplessness.

“You're going to have to try to find a balance between actually taking action that brings you a feeling of relief because it gives you a feeling of power and control and then also limiting the news and social media information that you're collecting. So setting boundaries around your news and social media consumption, especially during the last three weeks leading up to the election because the 24/7 news cycle can make the election feel incredibly stressful and like it's taking over your life.

“You might also have to just sort of cope with the fact that it's going to take over your life, and you're just going to do your best to tolerate it until hopefully we get on the other side of it, and there's some relief.”

Why should you ask your therapist who they’re voting for?

“So, I personally think that it is totally valid and OK to ask your therapist who they plan to vote for, if that's important for you to know, if it creates more feelings of safety in the room. Other therapists might disagree with me and that's totally OK. But understandably, I think that some of us need to know if our therapist is voting to have us mistreated.

“I think that it's important to feel safe and to express all of your views and feelings in therapy, and sometimes knowing what your therapist’s political values are makes you feel safer because then you have a value match in the room. Especially if you're part of a marginalized group, knowing whether your therapist supports candidates who advocate for your rights could be the difference between fully opening up or holding back.

“Safety in therapy isn't just about confidentiality. It's about knowing that you're seen and supported in all aspects of your identity, and politics isn't separate from mental health. When politics and who you vote for directly impacts your rights, health and well-being, it is personal.”

How does social media create anxiety around the election?

“Social media algorithms amplify content that keeps you engaged, and they often highlight anxiety by reinforcing your beliefs. So that'll create echo chambers where everything feels more polarized, making the stakes seem even higher. Keep that in mind as you're scrolling and remember that doom scrolling traps you in a cycle of stress by exposing you to endless negative content. So, try to do your best to set time limits. Scrolling on X at 2 in the morning, always a horrible idea. Never do that.”

“And remember that misinformation spreads quickly online, especially during elections, which would add to the anxiety. Do not forget that a lie travels eight times faster than the truth. So stick to reliable news sources and fact check what you see to avoid getting swept up in false or exaggerated stories. Basically, do your own research.”

This interview was edited for clarity

Samantha Raphelson produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Catherine Welch. Raphelson also adapted it for the web.