How some Texans deal with election anxiety

The 2024 presidential election is breaking all sorts of records. It is the most expensive race in US history Both campaigns are on track to spend nearly $16 billion.

This election is also causing more fear among voters than any other in recent history.

About 77% of the American Psychological Association Among the stressors in 2024, respondents cited the future of the country and 69% specifically cited the presidential election. That’s an increase from the 68% of respondents who said they were worried about the 2020 election and 52% who said they were worried about the 2016 election this year.

Additionally, 72% of adults said they were worried that the election results this year could lead to violence, and 56% said they believed the results could mean the end of democracy as we know it in the United States

Texas voters are also concerned. And they find different ways to deal with it.

The future of the country

Like many of the adults interviewed by the APA, 28-year-old Janet Ekezie fears that the presidential election could decide the future of democracy.

“There is so much at stake for democracy, identity and who we are as people,” Ekezie said. “Even if people voted or not, there are so many ways these things could turn out.”

Ekezie is studying public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has been following the election closely because the results could affect her personally.

She recalled that after Trump was elected in 2016, she was more nervous than ever about going out in public.

“I remember thinking: I have to travel at certain times of the day, I can’t get out of my car after a certain time at night,” said Ekezie, a Black woman. “Because of the color of my skin and what I portrayed as a person, I felt relatively physically insecure. As for my overall safety…I felt like my existence was in danger.”

Ekezie has taken steps to deal with her anxiety. She has attended political events both on and off campus and encouraged her friends to vote.

She has also started hosting her own podcast called “I Am…”, where she invites politicians outside of Texas to talk about politics and identity. In an August episode, she spoke with Kenny Nguyen, a city council member in Broomfield, Colorado.

“I was able to host a person from another state and we talked about the broader national issues,” Ekezie said. “It was a great way to involve people in the process within the small platform I have.”

Therapists and other anxiety experts recommend similar coping measures, as the condition is due to the feeling of lack of control.

“I can choose to think about it or even get upset about an outcome I don’t agree with, but in my current state I can’t control everything,” she said. “As long as I did my best, I can sleep at night.”

Turn down the noise

Kerry O’Malley Gleim, 24, said she was concerned about voter turnout, especially among her generation.

Glenn, who lives in Dallas, said systems like the Electoral College and gerrymandering make people feel like it’s not even worth voting.

“I feel like people have taken advantage of these loopholes to try to change these systems in their favor,” O’Malley Gleim said. “Both parties are fully to blame for this too. But I feel like this definitely puts people off.”

She said she also feels pressure to stay hyper-informed. Gleim said she feels like in order to have a conversation about almost anything, she has to consume news about everything.

“This pressure also contributes to not wanting to vote because … if I am not informed about everything, how can I vote?” she said. “Am I an informed voter if I don’t know everything about everything?”

Gleim said that other members of Generation Zers feel the same way, especially because politics has become so divisive. She said there is more pressure to get involved politically, particularly through social media.

As a result, she has limited her use of social media. Last November, she stopped using TikTok and deleted the Instagram app on her phone, leaving her only able to access it on a desktop. She also curated her feed to focus more on people she knows so she doesn’t constantly scroll to doom.

Evidence of the connection between anxiety and social media is still largely lacking anecdotalbut experts have found that young people often report poor mental health linked to social media use.

“I feel like my relationship with social media has definitely changed to become more about being a link between me and the people I care about, rather than a way to connect with the world kick,” said Gleim.

Building community

Marianne Richardson has to pay attention to the news for work. As a 32-year-old asylum officer in Austin, she constantly reads local and national news throughout the day. She describes herself as a news nerd.

“I’m less actively afraid of the election,” Richardson said. “This is also because my life is much more stable now than it has been in the last five years.”

But she knows family members who are afraid of political polarization, so she’s trying to build more community around them.

“I care deeply about our distinctive American values ​​and believe they improve our communities,” she said.

After being isolated during the pandemic, she felt the urge to strengthen her bonds with her own community. She joined the board of her local community garden, started taking improv classes, and looked for more hobbies and ways to make friends.

Anyone who suffers from anxiety will tell you that it can be isolating. And experts say how to fight the so-called Loneliness epidemic in the USA is to surround yourself with others.

“People just want to work together to make the world and their communities better,” Richardson said. “So much good can happen in the world around me without us having to agree on everything.”

This story was produced in collaboration with Texas Newsroom. A second story will be published next with tips for dealing with election anxiety.