Political Anxiety
By: Scott Tarlo
Tags: Politics, Relationships, Self Improvement, Coping Strategies, Society

Political Anxiety

There is no cure — but there is hope

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

We just can’t get cut a break, can we? Look at everything going on around us. A worldwide pandemic that has cost over 1 million lives and over 200,000 in the U.S. alone. Unemployment on a massive scale that still sees over 12 million people out of work. Stock market swings enough to sicken the hardiest investor. Floods, hurricanes, heat, locusts…ok, so I made that last one up, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Oh wait — lest we forget, we have all “unfriended” people in some way, haven’t we? Perhaps our circle of friends has gotten smaller, or our once close family isn’t quite as close as they once were. This year has been one of sacrifice on a personal level that I guarantee you, we were never prepared for.

Think about this. What challenges have you had to face as a result of this pandemic? Has the way you work changed? Are you working from home as opposed to an office? Are you surrounded by your children while you are trying to work? Have you had to rebalance how you work with supporting your children as they adjust to a different way of learning “in school”?

We certainly haven’t been as close to people as we once were. Not being able to go out for a meal or have drinks with our friends has dampened our social lives. Movies, zoos, and museums have all closed and are only now beginning to reopen with restrictions. Masks create a barrier between us and the people we interact with in that we can’t read faces as well during our communications with others. Grandparents and older and/or unhealthy relatives are off-limits. Travel and vacations are much different now, aren’t they?

Let’s check ourselves for a moment. Having just read the above list, how are you feeling? Is your heart rate up a little? Are you feeling a bit anxious about just being reminded of all that 2020 has given us? Are you fidgeting by shaking your leg or biting your nails?

You…Are…Not…Alone.

Anxiety disorders can affect 40 million adults in the U.S. We are already struggling with mental health disorders as nearly 46% of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition in a given year.

Ask yourself, have you been feeling apprehensive, tense, or jumpy? Restless? Irritable? Upset stomach? Insomnia? All of these are signs of anxiety, which can run the gamut from panic disorder to generalized anxiety disorder, and more. For more information about anxiety, please read further here.

We can add another anxiety to the list — political anxiety. While this type of anxiety is not in the lexicon of official mental health disorders, its appearance during and after the 2016 election has been acknowledged and discussed in the corridors of mental health professionals. Simply put, political anxiety is our reaction to the stressful political climate we experience now.

A brutal world of information and disinformation

Don’t you feel like there is just too much information to digest? There is no need for outside references here — just look at the volume of information coming to you through various forms of media. Have you tried to take a break from the internet or social media? Not easy, is it?

I have a belief about humans — feel free to disagree or toss out a different viewpoint. I believe that we are intended to be able to process only a certain amount of information before our brains begin to work against us. Genetic predisposition and socioeconomic factors notwithstanding, it makes sense to me that information overload can contribute to increased feelings of anxiety and depression. Lack of control plays a significant part in all of this. Compound this with not being able to determine truth from fiction and you have a complete recipe for anxiety stew.

The politics

Regardless of how you identify on the political spectrum, we have all been touched by the stress of dealing with this political climate. We live in a 24-hour news cycle where the news is changing by the minute. We live in an era where talking heads try to parse the information for us and “interpret” it with “in-depth analysis” and “experts” telling us what to believe. Social media compounds the news cycle through the sharing of opinions and memes, that true or false, serve the purposes of sending more information our way. We like, we share, we friend and unfriend, follow and unfollow. And lately, we have surrounded ourselves more with people who think like us, rather than people who come from opposing views. Why? It’s draining to keep arguing with people who disagree with us! Not only do we want to make our points, but we want other people to agree with us. That’s human nature, right?

In this time when discussion and social media postings have become less civil and respectful, getting your point across is a bit like shouting into a void. Sometimes, someone hears you, but for the most part, our efforts fall on deaf ears. People have their minds made up…and therein lies the key to dealing with our political anxiety.

Image by Elias Sch. from Pixabay

Our differences build muscles

My personal experiences have been varied as I have tried to keep some people in my social media circle who I disagree with. The first person I think of is an old friend of mine I used to work with who I’ll call D. He is an evangelical through and through and I have often told him how I envy his faith. He is a hard worker, has built small businesses from the ground up, is one of the most loyal people I know, recently married and even more recently has become a proud father. He is an avid Trump supporter. I also know that he is a loving husband and father, a fair boss, and would absolutely give the shirt off his back and his last nickel to someone who needs it.

Another person I know who I’ll refer to as S, is actually someone I have never met face-to-face. We connected over a shared love of music and that we are men of a certain age. He, too, is a loving father and husband, doting grandfather, and a good example of how we could all enjoy life. He, too, is a Trump supporter, but we have found that we agree on quite a few issues, not the least of which is term limits for our friends in Congress.

My father, who passed away in 2017, voted for Trump. We had spent years working on our relationship to get to a point of mutual appreciation and respect for each other. Then the election of 2016. To say that our conversations were animated would be an understatement. But he was my father. We had rebuilt our relationship. I had to ask myself, what was really important?

I don’t know how D and S feel about me (I do know we are still Facebook friends and they read my posts), but they have both made me want to rip my hair out at times! I have spent hours trying to understand their positions, and the truth is, they believe very strongly that they are right. Their arguments are not illogical or emotional, but seated in their core beliefs and values. Is it my place to argue a person’s core values?

Overcome the anxiety

There are plenty of resources out there that will tell you how to manage your anxiety and cope with stress. This article from One Medical speaks to managing stress in our political climate, and this article from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) speaks to managing stress in general.

Here are some ideas for dealing with political anxiety that work for me, and may work for you:

The world is not ending — Of course, this just makes sense, right? However we may feel in the moment, the next moment may bring clarity and purpose. However the politics work out, you will still be the same person you were today. You may even be wiser! Your children will still need you. If you are employed, your employer will have the same expectations of you. You will still need to pay your bills and file your taxes. You will still be able to enjoy your favorite food or beverage. In other words, you will be OK.

Focus on what we have in common — As much as D and S drive me up a wall, we still have things in common with each other. We both love our families, enjoy our sports teams, and are loyal to our friends. We realize what really is important in life and we respect our differences. Through our discussions, we have found common ground on many issues that are important to us. We agree on the “what”, just not the “who”. Work to find the common ground by focusing on issues. Ask “What are the 3 issues that are most important to you?” For me, those issues are the economy, healthcare, and education. How about you?

Know yourself — Most of us know what our triggers are. Stay alert and be self-aware. Recognize the signs that you may be heading towards trouble and simply walk away. It really is that easy! See, when you do that, you empower yourself to take ownership of your emotions and reactions. Do you really have to justify yourself? Do you really have to try to convert someone else to your way of thinking? What is your end goal? Are you really giving up anything by walking away? The answer to that last question is easy — probably not.

Family first — I have often thought of my father since his passing and the things that he would be saying to me. During the election in 2016 and through 2017, I had to stuff some things down that I was inclined to say to him. I didn’t do it because I was weak and afraid to stand up to his ideas. I came from a fractured family. I saw the devastation of one sister not speaking to the other, and a daughter not speaking with her father for over 30 years. I chose a better path. My father was entitled to his beliefs and opinions and so was I. We didn’t have to justify them to the other. We had to learn to let the other exist as they were, and focus more on being there for each other in challenging times. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.

Watch the expectations — When we experience anxiety, it can be a result of unmet expectations. Take a look at your relationships and interactions and work to recognize when your expectations don’t match up to the reality. Remember — it’s you, not them in this scenario. We can expect people to act or be a certain way, but deep disappointment awaits us down that path. Choose your interactions carefully. You may not always get what you want, but you’ll get what you need.

At the end of the day, and the end of the election cycle, we have to look out for ourselves and our loved ones. Let the Golden Rule apply with a minor change — do and say unto others, as you would have them do and say unto you.