close
close

Apre-salomemanzo

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

    • Election anxiety is real. Here’s how to manage stress throughout the day
    aecifo

    Election anxiety is real. Here’s how to manage stress throughout the day

    Umito Posted on

    Elections can affect our mental health. Uncertainty about the outcome and the possibility of losing a preferred party or candidate can lead to increased anxiety and depression, a study suggests.

    Studies have documented increased stress hormones such as cortisol or testosterone and levels of poor mental health during the recent US elections.

    But there are ways to manage our short-term anxiety and build our long-term resilience to stressors, including elections.

    Find a moment of joy

    There is an antidote to an ever-stressful, busy and uncertain world. Try to find and savor small bites of joy in your day, writes Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima. He calls them “joy” snacks. By consciously tuning into the pleasant, enjoyable, and sometimes routine experiences of each day, we can transform an otherwise mundane moment into something more meaningful and even joyful, he writes. Lunch with a colleague. Walk the dog. Texting with a friend. Watch a favorite show. Eat a favorite meal. I’m calling your mother. I’m just hanging out. Research shows that finding and savoring these nuggets of joy can be a way to consistently cultivate a good, meaningful life, Sima says.

    Do these 2-minute exercises

    Engaging in lifestyle activities, like exercise, can quiet the constant noise of our stressed minds, allowing us to consider a different way of being, writes psychiatrist Christopher WT Miller.

    Try turning your exercise into a snack, suggests fitness columnist Gretchen Reynolds. Research shows that exercise “snacks,” which consist of brief bursts of effort spread throughout the day, can improve metabolic health, increase endurance, and stave off some of the unwanted changes in our muscles that occur produce differently when we sit too long, she says.

    Reduce Anxiety With This Rapid Breathing

    Five minutes of breathing a day for about a month could improve mood and reduce anxiety — and these benefits could be greater than those of doing mindfulness meditation for the same length of time, a study has shown, Sima writes. Figure out which practices work best for you, start small, create a routine, and use it where and when you need it.

    Try this stretch

    In times of stress, we often feel our heart racing, our jaw clenching, or our stomach churning—feelings that end up increasing our negative emotions, says clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz. Soon it becomes a vicious cycle where your body and your thoughts magnify each other, she writes. Instead, try a technique known as half-smiling, often used in dialectical behavior therapy, which improves people’s ability to accept and cope with distress. Slightly raise the upper corners of your lips, which automatically releases tension in the brow area, she says.

    Do this five-minute meditation

    If you’re looking for a way to manage your anxiety, a simple five senses meditation might help, says Samantha Snowden, a Headspace teacher in Los Angeles. The advantage of this meditation is that it is easy to do alone, no matter where you are. You just need to listen to the sights, sensations, sounds, smells and taste, she writes.

    Listen to birdsong to calm your brain

    Looking to improve your mental health? Watch out for the birds, says Sima. Two studies published last year in Scientific Reports indicated that seeing or hearing birds could be good for our mental well-being. Research has consistently shown that increased contact and interaction with nature is associated with better body and brain health. Birds appear to be a specific source of these healing benefits, he writes. They are almost everywhere and are a way to connect us to nature. And even if they are hidden in the trees or in the undergrowth, we can still enjoy their songs.

    Put aside disturbing content at night

    Election stress affects health, especially among those whose views differ most from their state’s norms, writes sleep psychologist Lisa Strauss. It is normal and natural to worry. It’s a hectic moment with serious consequences, she says. Validate your worries, face your worries during the day, put away upsetting content at night, and adopt good sleep habits to get the rest you need to avoid anxiety and depression.

    Umito
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like