No matter which side of the political divide you're on, election years can be stressful. According to a February 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when they think about politics, and 55% feel angry. "Election years are challenging because we want to be able to plan for the future and feel on solid ground," says Brett Ford, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. "We can never know for sure who will be the next president so there will always be a degree of uncertainty, which is uncomfortable." The solution isn't to tune out Washington altogether; a successful democracy counts on informed, engaged citizens who vote. "Still, you can stay engaged in a way that doesn't sacrifice your well-being," Ford says. |
