Managing Political Anxiety: Simple Strategies for Coping

Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash

As the United States marks a transition of power from one presidential administration to the next, the significance of the change has many feeling an increase in anxiety. While many may celebrate, others may face a range of emotions related to fear, anger, or dread. 

Large-scale change can feel destabilizing. Confronting the unknown is difficult, especially when it is an unwelcome change. Looming uncertainty can make our day-to-day lives harder, weighing heavily on our internal family systems (IFS), consciously as we take in news and opinions and unconsciously as we navigate our internal reactions and responses. 

Anxiety is a normal response to change. However, anxiety is also painful and requires attention and care when it flares up. Before we explore what to do to help during times of increased anxiety, let’s discuss common symptoms of anxiety. 

The 5 most common symptoms of anxiety are:

• Excessive Worry: Persistent, overwhelming concern about various future-oriented situations that are out of proportion with the present.

• Restlessness or Feeling on Edge: Difficulty relaxing or a constant sense of unease.

• Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired, even without significant physical activity, often due to the toll of mental strain.

• Difficulty Concentrating: Trouble focusing or a sense that your mind “goes blank.”

• Physical Symptoms: This can include muscle tension, jaw tension, increased heart rate, sweating, nausea, dizziness, headaches, and stomach or digestion issues.

In times of intense anxiety, it is essential to take time and space to care for ourselves and our communities. 

If you are struggling with intense anxiety and fear about the political landscape, speaking with a trained therapist may help. To schedule a consultation, click here.

6 steps to help heal your anxiety

In addition to speaking with a skilled therapist, below are 6 steps to help heal your anxiety.

1.Take time to acknowledge your discomfort

While it might feel easier to ignore your fears about something uncontrollable, you are sending a signal to yourself that your feelings aren’t worthy of attention and abandoning parts of you that need support. 

Instead, offer yourself a contained set of time to extend openness to your internal experience. Find a chunk of time that feels manageable to you (15 minutes, 30 minutes, even 5 minutes), to listen to your fears and name what you notice. Journaling can be an effective tool to recognize and acknowledge your feelings. If writing isn’t your thing, try drawing your anxiety with lines, shapes, or colors to represent your fears. When the time is up, thank your system for sharing its fears with you and take note of any shift you might feel. A therapist can help if this sounds daunting. 

2. Set realistic expectations for yourself

A way of honoring yourself with compassion is recognizing realistic expectations. If you are struggling with many feelings about the upcoming political change, be aware that you might have trouble sleeping, feel more tired, have a lower tolerance for talking about current events, or even have a harder time performing typical work or life duties. That’s ok! 

Be gentle with yourself and create increased time for rest in your schedule. Limits change day to day. Honor your limits as they are today. Experiment with moving slower in the weeks to come. It might feel hard to go about life “as usual” - take care of yourself by respecting the internal distress you feel as a signal to do less, move slower, and rest.

3. Limit media time

While wanting to stay informed is important, too much exposure to news, social media, or opinionated debate can be taxing. Carve out specific times when you will check in with the news and set a time limit. (For example, 15 minutes before work and 10 minutes after dinner.) Try to limit media exposure 1-2 hours before you go to sleep.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

4. Lean into community

Political change is often marked by division, but it also presents an opportunity to build community and connect with others who share your values. Community can be a form of resistance in itself. Reach out to your family or friends who feel safe to you and express your fears. Attend community events, explore spiritual gatherings of your choice, or visit a local yoga studio. Some other options to feel more empowered and connected include volunteering locally, joining a peer or therapy group, or working on a cause that is important to you.
5. Engage with nature

Give your nervous system a break by spending time in nature. Engage your senses by focusing on something in nature you can see. Listen to the sounds of the natural world around you. Notice how it feels to interact with a different scenery. 
6. Connect with moments of joy

Create time to take pleasure in rest or activities or hobbies that you really enjoy. Connect with your playfulness and curiosity to find ways, big or small, to offer your nervous system a different experience. Dance around to your favorite song, read a good book, play a new video game, anything that brings joy to your day. If it helps, schedule time for joy into your day. 

Anxiety is painful and pain needs tending to. Begin to use your symptoms of anxiety as a signal from your nervous system that you need some form of care. Engaging in acts of self-care, as we’ve explored here will help your anxiety.

Authorship: This blog was written by Katy Levine, LMSW. Katy (licensed in Washington, D.C., MD, VA, & PA), focuses on supporting clients with complex trauma history, attachment wounding, anxiety, and perfectionism, using IFS-informed EMDR. 

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for mental health care nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. The information may change without notice. No claims, promises, or guarantees are made about the completeness, accuracy, currency, content or quality of information linked. You assume all responsibility and risk for any use of the information.

IFS EMDR Therapy Group is an outpatient therapy group founded by Morgan Levine. We specialize in helping adults struggling with the effects of living in dysfunctional systems move toward healing and wholeness. We provide therapy to address symptoms such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, grief, obsessive and compulsive thoughts and behaviors including but not limited to using work, perfectionism, substances, relationships, food, etc. We offer ongoing support as well as EMDR intensives; both of which are informed by IFS, EMDR, DBT, CBT, Polyvagal Theory, trauma-informed yoga, attachment, and other recovery principles.