It’s Not Just You — Survey Reveals Presidential Election Has Americans So Stressed
No need for a recount -- we've had enough.
A poll of 3,500 adults by the American Psychological Association has found that 52% of Americans are stressed out by the presidential election. Whether it's the bitterness between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the conversations you've inevitably had with neighbors that worked someone into a tizzy or those posts from friends on Facebook who link to articles on such reputable sites as don't-elect-crooked-hillary-dot-com or donald-will-blow-up-the-world-dot-org, we're getting bombarded with messages that are dragging us down in a big way.
Yup, we’ve gone from feeling the Bern to feeling depressed. Some people want to make American great again, while some want to make their ulcer go away. Some people are with her, some are with their therapist, talking through their worries.
Some other findings:
- 38% say political discourse on social media adds stress to their lives
- 54% of people who use social media say the election increases their stress levels
- 51% of men say this election is causing stress
- 52% of women say this election is causing stress
The APA does remind people that they can reduce stress by not checking out social media too much, try not to talk politics if you think there’s a chance it could lead to an argument, focus on doing something good like volunteering, remember life will go on after the election and vote to make your voice heard.
And if none of that helps, maybe you should try meditating or just check out, like this fed-up guy,
The election is November, but our stress could potentially go up after that since Donald Trump has not guaranteed he’d accept the results if he loses. Ugh, pass the Maalox.