How to cope with post-Election Day stress

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- After much anticipation and build-up, the Nov. 5 general election has come and gone and while votes are still being tallied, many are now dealing with post-election stress.   

If election season has affected your mental health in any way, experts want you to know that you aren’t alone. Several tightly contested national and statewide races left millions anxious and waiting for results. 

While the election is over, it’s likely many Americans will still be concerned about what the next few weeks will bring. It can often leave people feeling isolated. 

“In some ways, we're kind of grieving, right?” Kelley Breidigan, an assistant clinical professor at the College of Social Work at Ohio State University, said. “Some folks really are struggling with the idea that they thought it was going to be one way and it's something different, and so it puts them in a very vulnerable position.” 

According to the American Psychological Association, 43% of adults said they felt more anxious than they did in 2023 while 73% of adults said they were particularly worried about this election. 

“We've come off of COVID and we've come out of all this uncertainty and all of these things that have really in some ways, you know, created sort of a system of grief and vulnerability and isolation, right, and then to go right into something as important as an election like this, you can kind of see how folks are just sort of exhausted,” Breidigan said.   

She said the idea of change is scary because it can often make us feel powerless, which is why it’s essential for people to develop healthy coping strategies.   

“So the idea behind this is that an anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body,” Breidigan said. 

If you find yourself feeling anxious post-election, now is the time to start focusing on yourself. There are plenty of different ways to go about this: you can monitor your social media intake, practice deep breathing exercises or just get outside and be active, all ways that can help you relax your mind and body.   

Breidigan said that while post-election stress isn’t considered a diagnosable disorder, it is a very real thing people experience.   

“What we do see is that this is a pattern of stress and anxiety, right, that we're seeing that's sort of repeating each cycle like this, and it is real. It is a thing that people are really, really struggling with,” she said. 

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious after this election, Breidigan said to take a step back and find balance, finding ways to stay informed while also focusing on your mental health and well-being.