Anxious and irritable? You’re not alone. Election stress is widespread in 2020

BOSTON — In a polarized nation, many voters are experiencing high levels of anxiety about how the 2020 election will turn out. This stress is only made worse by the growing likelihood that a winner might not be declared for days or weeks after Election Day.

“Election stress disorder is a real issue,” said Dr. Ellen Slawsby, a psychologist with the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“The increased exposure to political news really causes conflict for individuals,” said Slawsby. “It increases irritability, depression, and anxiety for many people.”

It appears election stress disorder is worse this year. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, 68% of US adults say they’re feeling significant stress around this year’s election. That’s up from 52% who had the same response in 2016.

“Personally, I think the country is more divided than ever and just because of that unknown of what’s going to happen after the election, people are just stressing about out it,” one man told Boston 25 News.

Slawsby believes the 24-hour news cycle and the overwhelming presence of social media plays an increasingly large role in people feeling unsettled.

Relief could be a way off, however. “People are concerned it could take a couple of weeks before we know who won this election,” said state Sen. Barry Finegold of Andover, who chairs the Committee on Election Laws and wrote the bill that created early voting and vote-by-mail in Massachusetts.

“The problem we have is states like Pennsylvania, where they’re not allowing the clerks to start procession the ballots until Election Day,” explained Finegold. “That is why it could be weeks until we know the answer.” It’s a similar situation in Wisconsin, another key battleground state.

In Florida, however, the mail-in ballots are already being counted. “We’re going to know on Election Night about Florida,” said Finegold. In Massachusetts, mail-in ballots are processed and validated ahead of time, but they won’t be tabulated until Election Day.

Then there is also fear of safety at the polls and the possibility of hundreds of legal challenges to the results

All of this takes a toll on the psyches of voters who are already challenged during unprecedented times. Slasby says the global pandemic, recession, and social unrest, in addition to a contentious presidential election, are pushing anxiety even higher.

Her tips on how to lower your stress level: avoid staying on social media for long stretches of time, get outside and move - even if it’s just for a short walk, and connect with like-minded friends that you can talk things through with.

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