How Are You Coping with Voter Fatigue?

3 Tips to Help You Get Through This Election Season

Photo by Doğukan Şahin on Unsplash

I’ve seen election ads hundreds of times by now. Every time they come on, I feel my body getting tense. Times are tough, and I don’t need an election ad to remind me of that fact.

The election is almost upon us. But it’s not over yet. There’s still plenty of advertisements and news coverage to come in the coming weeks.

I’m so tired of it all. I already voted. I’m over it. But the election ads and news coverage continue. And I’m feeling stressed about it all.

Here’s how I’m coping with election coverage fatigue, with skills I learned from DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy).

Distraction

This one’s pretty simple and straightforward. I’ve been distracting myself from election ads and the news by focusing on other things.

I read books, write articles, journal, go for walks, cook . . . all kinds of healthy activities distract me from stressful events in the media.

The key here is to bring your full attention to whatever distracting task you’re engaging in. So, if I go for a walk but my thoughts are all about the election, that’s not going to help. I’ve got to engage the present moment by paying attention to what’s…