How to Help Clients Manage Election Stress

By Samantha Cooper

October 2024

The 2024 U.S. presidential election is in full swing, and the country is more divided than ever between the two political parties. With so many key issues on the ballot, including ones related to the economy and civil rights, it makes sense that many people — on all sides of the political spectrum — are feeling anxious or stressed about the upcoming election.

“The preoccupation people have with the presidential election is almost ubiquitous. It’s on everybody’s mind, and almost everyone is concerned about it. There’s this universality that we’re all experiencing quite a lot,” Jor-El Caraballo, LMHC, co-founder of Viva, a multistate mental health practice. “Election stress is anxiety that’s triggered by election news,” says Janelle Jones, PhD, president of the Association for Adult Development and Aging. “That can spill into social and family life, as well as work. It differs from regular stress in the sense that it is specific to that particular time leading up and into November.” While the phrase “election stress” is typically associated with the U.S. presidential election, it can be applied to any election at any level.

Zoe Stuckey, a psychotherapist at Pasadena Villa Outpatient in North Carolina, says that clients who are presenting with election stress may appear more irritable, especially during conversations on the topic or may present with more sleep disturbances than usual. “I think a good way to describe it is to compare it to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms increase when it’s that time of year and decrease when it isn’t election time,” she says. Whereas SAD traditionally affects people in the fall and winter months, election anxiety may only crop up every four years.

These worries and negative thoughts appear to be universal — and more tense — among Americans. “I’ve observed increased anxiety in clients and in the general population, manifesting in more frequent panic attacks related to political news, heightened family conflicts over political differences and increased feelings of helplessness and fear about the future,” says Kerri Legette McCullough, EdD, LPC, LCPC, LCMHC.

Election Stress in Marginalized Communities

Election stress can have a greater impact on minoritized communities, and those in states where important rights are on the ballot, such as gender-affirming health care, abortion and Medicaid.

“It’s a complex landscape for minoritized populations to have to navigate, which certainly exacerbates the stress these folks face,” says Jordan Westcott, PhD, NCC, an assistant professor of counselor education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Some marginalized groups who may be affected by the outcome of the presidency include (but are not limited to):

• People over the age of 65
• People who are unhoused
• LGBTQIA+ individuals
• People with disabilities
• People of color
• Immigrants (both those with or without legal status)

These identities can often overlap, but each one of these groups faces specific challenges that can be exacerbated if a certain candidate wins, Caraballo says.

For example, many of his clients who are people of color are coming to him with concerns about the increased scrutiny they’re facing in the workplace. This increased judgment is a result of some politicians saying that people of color and other minorities are being hired because of their background as opposed to their abilities.

Older adults, Westcott notes, are the fastest-growing proportion of people experiencing homelessness. Yet, they are often overlooked for several reasons.

"I think the broader consciousness kind of assumes older people have more power in this country. They tend to vote more. Congress tends to skew a little bit older, but the average older person doesn’t actually hold very much financial power,” she says. Some Republicans want to cut Social Security, which would increase the risk of older adults becoming homeless.

Setting Healthy Boundaries

While it may seem impossible to escape talk of the election and related news, it is possible to set healthy boundaries, Westcott says. Although it can be hard to avoid political topics, especially during an election season, she advises clients to find ways to remove themselves from the situation when it does happen.

“Boundaries are about our behavior and not someone else’s, so a boundary is not ‘you have to stop doing this.’ A boundary is ‘this is how I will respond if you continue doing this,’” Westcott says.

For example, if a client doesn’t want to talk politics on phone calls with a specific relative, they can come up with a script to explain the rules such as, “If you bring up this topic, I’m going to end the phone call.”

In situations where people cannot be as open with their boundaries, such as in the workplace, they can give minimal responses and not engage heavily in the conversation.

Caraballo says he often helps clients figure out their boundaries by instructing them to ask themselves questions to figure out their limits. These questions include:

• How will I discuss this political topic?
• How will I not discuss it?
• What is my time investment in this conversation going to be?
• What is my time investment with this particular person going to be?

Looking to the Future

With the election fast approaching, how can counselors help keep their clients’ spirits up and help them cope until Election Day and afterward?

Jones focuses on mindfulness for herself and recommends it for her clients; in particular, she has clients plan how they will spend the days leading up to and after the election and figure out what they will do when they learn the results.

Finding something to look forward to can help counselors and clients alike no matter what the election outcome.

“Even if the election doesn’t go our way, we can have a party and gather our friends and neighbors and just have conversations, space for our grievances so we’re not sitting alone with the stress of it,” she says.