World Mental Health Day is October 10, 2024 and the World Health Organization’s theme for this year is “Mental Health at Work.” While there is plenty I can contemplate and write about this topic, people living in the United States are likely preoccupied with a more pressing concern in the month leading up to November 5, 2024. So, in honor of World Mental Health Day 2024, but in reflecting on where Americans are as a nation, I want to talk about this election season.
Sometimes it can seem like we have never been more divided as a nation. Maybe we look at our current political candidates and think “is this the best we can do?”. This year alone, we’ve witnessed triggering images of conflict at home and abroad as well as assassination attempts of a former president. It seems as though the level of vitriol being shared and polarization among our citizenry is rising more each day. The question I want to wrestle with is: how do we stay engaged to create the kind of country and world we want to hand off to the next generations without becoming so overwhelmed, depressed, or ragey that we completely tune it out?
As a woman and as a mom of two daughters, I have a lot of concerns about the future of this country and how it will affect them. And as a therapist, I have worked with clients from a wide range of backgrounds, identities and ethnicities. I’ve learned a lot about the ways that people can be directly impacted by misguided policies and laws. My thoughts below are some basic ideas for staying engaged while protecting your mental health, many of them borrowed from basic principles of Somatic Experiencing Therapy:
Media Intake and Mental Health
First and foremost, set boundaries around how much time you’re spending consuming news or social media. For some people it can feel like you have a duty to stay informed, to bear witness to even the ugly things that are happening today. But your nervous system also needs time to rest, to process. Set a timer or agree that you will only look at news during certain times.
Give feedback to friends and family that you need a break if they try to engage with you about politics. Turn off push notifications for social media apps. Remind yourself that you’re doing this so that you can stay engaged without shutting down. For those of you who are feeling directly affected by policies and rhetoric, it really is okay to do a news fast and just shut it down for a few days.
Complete the Stress Cycle
Think about this from a nervous system perspective. Big headlines, new stories come in and they create activation in your nervous system, causing you to move into fight or flight mode. For example, one night I was reading the news right before bed and I realized that I was biting down. My jaw was completely tense and I hadn’t even realized it was affecting me!
Give yourself a chance to let the activation move through you, discharge and to settle. There are ways to do this. Move your body through exercise, shake it out, laugh, play, spend time with friends. Set an intention to do this every day!
What Can You Control?
Sometimes things can seem so big and overwhelming that it causes us to shut down or avoid them altogether. Think of the best use of your skills and talents and set aside specific times to engage in them – writing letters to elected officials? Making phone calls or knocking on doors for a candidate you like – perhaps in a more local race if you feel beaten down by the presidential election? Even better if you can do it in community (invite a friend to join you). Try and focus on smaller accomplishments that are actually within your control and you may just notice an uptick in your mental health.
Remember That You Can’t Predict the Future
Could things get worse? For sure. But they could also get better. Because, the truth is, we just don’t know what’s going to happen next. Things are always changing. All of the work people are doing, the advocacy, the time put in, the community, there’s always a chance that something good could happen. Can you open up space for this possibility? The arc of history hasn’t always bent toward justice, but it hasn’t always bent towards the worst case scenario either. Which brings us to our mental health’s greatest resource: the present moment…
Embrace This Present Moment
When dealing with anxiety about something you’ve seen or read, the present moment is always your best friend. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious about the future, take a moment to be in the present moment. What do you hear? What can you smell? Touch? Can you notice your breathing? Do a body scan. Are you holding stress anywhere? Can you tense it up and release it? Is there anything in this moment that lets you know you are relatively safe, at least in this moment?
Find Strength in the Legacy of Your Community
Expand your definition of community to include all of the people who have been hoping and fighting for the same goals as you throughout history. Personally, as a mom raising a couple of girls, I like to lean on the legacy of all the women fighting for their rights and for equality before me. They have been fighting for a long time – generations before me. We have built resilience over the years through heartbreaks and setbacks but we have also come a long way. Can you imagine your community, your ancestors with you?
Stay Connected
Continuing to think about our nervous system, if election news can cause the fight or flight response, what about the opposite? What are we doing when we feel more safety? Feeling safe usually opens up opportunities for play and connection. Reach out to your friends and family, prioritize fun and other interests. If you’re having trouble remembering what this looks like to you, look back at times in your life when you were feeling more light and less stressed – let this be your guide towards positive mental health.
This really is a time of year that most Americans dread. A Pew Report found that 65% of Americans feel exhausted and 55% feel angry always or often when thinking about the election. It’s important for all of us to take care of our mental health during these times in order to stay engaged. Setting limits with media, monitoring catastrophic thinking, connecting with resources and community, and trying to stay in the present moment can help mitigate the effects of what feels like a constant barrage of bad news.
