LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock therapist says more people are vocalizing their anxiety about this election season. Since emotions may run high, she’s providing some tips to help keep the peace across party lines.
From national rallies, to state debates and local races, the election is increasingly taking up more room in people’s minds and their conversations. Maddie Bishop, a senior therapist at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Counseling Center, says people believe more is at stake this election season.
“People have become more vocal about who they are voting for and we are definitely at odds with each other, and so we’re butting heads more,” she said. “A lot of times, if this is the only thing we talk about, then people are kind making it more of the only thing that they focus on.”
She says having those conversations over and over again can become draining for people. In the last year and a half, more clients are bringing up the election in her office, and that’s only increased as the big day draws nearer.
“A lot of times, our politics are tied to our values, so when we feel that our values are threatened, our anxiety is going to increase, our defensiveness is going to increase,” Bishop said.
While it’s important to be an informed voter, she says too much information can be overwhelming.
“Social media, we’re flooded with political things right now. Even the smallest forms of social media is talking about this. Everyone’s talking about this,” she said. “And so, it’s just kind of recognizing, am I spending a lot of my time focusing on this or am I doing other things?”
Stress can manifest in the body, like through poor sleep or feeling anxious when people see a political ad on TV. Bishop advises people to balance screen time with self care, like with walks outside, hobbies, or exercise.
People can also cope by spending time with friends and family, but if the conversation turns to politics and becomes too intense, Bishop says it’s important to set boundaries.
“It‘s OK to say, ’I care too much about our relationship to keep talking about this, so I‘m not going to talk about this.’ Or, ‘I’m going to remove myself from the situation.’ You have to tell the person that you’re going to do it, you can’t just up and do it,” she said. “If I state why I’m doing it, that’s me enforcing the boundary and letting them be aware of the boundary.”
If a situation becomes more personal and distressing, seeing a counselor can help. Ultimately, Bishop says people can only control their own thoughts, feelings and actions.
“What someone else does, we have no control over that. We can only do, again, what is in our circle,” she said.
While November 5th is going to be a long day, Bishop wants people to remember the things that unite them.
“My vote is just as important as someone else’s vote, and their vote is just as important as mine and we need to, again, just remember that we all have values and we all have value,” Bishop said.
Bishop says using a sliding scale may help, with one or two being things people can’t control like bumper stickers or yard signs, three being relationships where people need to set boundaries, and four or five being more troubling issues that may warrant professional help.
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