How to Follow Politics without Letting Anxiety Take Over

Studies show that politics can increase anxiety and stress levels. A 2024 U.S. poll revealed that over 70% of Americans experienced stress in the run-up to the poll’s most recent election, with 77% of people expressing fears over the future of the nation. Uncertainty, change, and a volatile national and global political landscape can take their toll, whatever your political views.  

Many want to engage with politics and take an interest in current affairs, but doing so can be overwhelming. While keeping up to date with news headlines is important, we also need to protect our mental health. This article outlines strategies to help you stay informed without letting anxiety take over.  

Why Do Politics Feel So Personal?

Politics triggers intense, profound emotions in many people because it feels personal. Political issues impact our values, identities, and daily lives, and the decisions that politicians make affect all of us to some degree. Politics can give us a sense of identity and bring people together, but it can also be divisive and lead to separations, rifts, or ruptures. The decisions people make can also cause us to question our own thoughts and values and those of others. 

The role of social media and news updates

Social media can be a great resource, but it’s a double-edged sword. Misinformation and fake news can go viral, and some people abuse platforms, using them to force views on others or be outspoken. Constant news updates and endless posts, clips, reels, and articles can lead us to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Social media and news programs can also intensify emotional reactions and make it difficult to maintain a healthy balance that would otherwise enable us to engage with politics without feeling swamped or overloaded. 

Signs of Political Anxiety

Political anxiety can affect anyone, regardless of how they vote, their age, or their level of interest in politics. It is particularly common to experience anxiety in the run-up to and following an election.

Signs of political anxiety include:

• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Mood swings
• Sleep troubles
• Excessive worrying
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Doom-scrolling
• Difficulty concentrating
• Using devices more than usual

Political anxiety can exacerbate symptoms of mental health conditions

Political anxiety can cause anyone to experience symptoms of mental health disorders, but it can be especially damaging to those who have existing mental health conditions. If you experience symptoms of anxiety or depression, for example, political anxiety can exacerbate your symptoms, making them more severe and difficult to manage. 

The importance of self-awareness

Self-awareness and checking in with yourself are key when managing mental disorders and trying to protect your mental health. If you start to notice changes in your mood or behavior, or you know that scrolling or watching news bulletins constantly makes you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or worried, it’s beneficial to take action. Checking in with yourself can help you prevent symptoms from getting worse and encourage you to take breaks and find positive distractions. 

Be a Mindful Media Consumer

One of the best ways to stay informed without succumbing to political anxiety is to make sure you’re a mindful media consumer. The following are positive steps:

• Set boundaries: Setting boundaries, such as time limits, blocking certain accounts, and turning notifications off, can help you maintain a healthy balance.
• Ask yourself, “Is this helping or harming me?”: Try to be honest when consuming content. If the answer to the question is “Harming me,” switch off. 
• Learn to spot sensationalism and avoid reactive scrolling: There’s a vast amount of information available to us via the media. It’s hugely beneficial to learn to spot sensationalism and clickbait and to avoid reactive scrolling. Ignore articles and posts that are designed purely to get a reaction, cause controversy, or entice you to go down an unhealthy rabbit hole. 
• Try to read rather than watch news: Reading news often provides more context than TV bulletins and may reduce emotional intensity. 

Shift Your Focus to Small-Scale Efforts

Focusing on small-scale efforts can help you healthily engage with politics without getting overwhelmed by national or global issues over which you have limited control.

• Turning anxiety into action: By concentrating on small-scale efforts, you can turn anxiety into action, using your emotions and views positively. Examples include campaigning and volunteering locally, voting, and engaging in healthy, respectful, educational conversations. 
• Gaining a sense of control: Politics can be overwhelming because it often feels like we have no control over big issues. Switching your focus to community-level issues can give you a greater sense of control and confidence while reducing anxiety. 

Know When to Step Away

Knowing when to step away can help you prevent or reduce anxiety, enable you to maintain control, and encourage you to protect your mental health. Tips include:

• Understanding that having a rest doesn’t mean you’re uneducated or uninformed: It’s important to understand that taking a break doesn’t make you uninformed, uneducated, or apathetic. 
• Prioritizing your mental health: Sometimes, it’s necessary to step away to protect your mental health, especially if you’re overwhelmed, or you feel like you can’t escape content or opinions even when you’re not looking for them, for example, on social media or while watching TV. 
• Making time for relaxing, mood-boosting activities: When politics causes you stress or anxiety, it’s beneficial to make time for relaxing activities that calm you and boost your mood. This is particularly important during high-stakes moments. Examples include reading fiction, exercising, socializing with friends, spending time in nature, and watching movies or TV shows that take your mind elsewhere. 

How Residential Treatment Can Help with Political Anxiety

Residential mental health treatment can help with political anxiety, particularly if you feel like you can’t switch off or if political stress has become too much to handle alone. Benefits of anxiety treatment include:

• Access to structured care environments that help you manage and avoid political issues that are anxiety triggers.
• Access to professional, tailored mental health treatment services that include individual and group therapy, support for learning to develop and implement coping skills, and medication. 
• Access to a comfortable and safe setting.

Residential Treatment for Anxiety in Southern California and Oregon

Politics is a subject that can stir up intense emotions and provoke anxiety. Many of us are interested in politics, and we want to be engaged, but at times, doing so can be overwhelming. It is possible to stay informed without sacrificing peace of mind. It’s healthy and positive to set boundaries and to be mindful of your mental health. If you find stress connected to politics too difficult to handle by yourself or if you could benefit from professional advice or support, please know help is available at Jackson House.

Contact us today to find out more about anxiety treatment and the benefits of residential mental health treatment at Jackson House facilities in California and Oregon.