Election stress wearing down Americans

In its annual Stress in America survey, the American Psychological Association found that 52 percent of Americans are stressed out by this year’s presidential election.

“Those registered as Democrats and those registered as Republicans were equally likely to say that this election is incredibly stressful,” said American Psychological Association’s Dr. Vail Wright. “Same went for both men and women; they were equally likely to say they were stressed by this election. We found that those aged 71 and older, and those who fell into the group we call millennials, were significantly more likely to say they were stressed by the election compared to other generations.”

Dr. Wright said senior citizens are generally the least stressed population, but this particular election is really riling them up.

“They might be reflecting on what kind of impact this election is going to have on the future generations, their children or their grandchildren,” Wright said. “We think secondly, issues that are important to older adults like social security, Medicare and prescription costs aren’t really being talked about all that much in this election.”

“And third,” he said. “We really think it’s the negative and angry rhetoric, these particularly antagonistic campaigns that are really kind of disgusting older adults. It’s just not how they were taught to deal with disagreements.”

Dr. Wright says adults who use social media are more likely to get a case of election stress than those who don’t.

“If you think your stress is really coming from the 24-hour news cycle, we suggest limiting your media consumption,” Wright said. “Read just enough to stay informed. Or, at the end of the day, you just might need to take a digital break from all media. Just turn it off and instead engage in an activity you find soothing or enjoyable.”