Election Stress: 3 ways to remain unbothered during the final stretch of this crazy election season
Election anxiety getting to you? Kellee Forkenbrock has some tips for staying sane as Election Day approaches Nov. 5.
Can you sense the fervor building? It’s election season, and it’s swiftly followed by the same distracting rigamarole that sprouts up every four years in our country. Signs emblazoned with candidate names have started popping up on our neighbors’ front lawns. We get inundated with media clips and social media hot takes on proposed policies and daily mishaps. No one can seem to agree on anything except that their candidate is the best pick — or, in some cases, the candidates are two sides of the same crooked coin.
Amidst the political theater and the madness that ensues, some of us feeling unsure about the upcoming voting season may find ourselves encountering what’s known as ‘election anxiety’ — and it’s more common than one may think.
According to a 2024 national survey conducted by the University of South Florida, nearly seven out of 10 registered voters experience some level of stress during election season. Fifty-three percent have spent more time than they’d prefer thinking about the election, with 23 percent losing sleep over it. Can you imagine?
Well, maybe you can, but one thing to keep in mind is that you get to choose more than your pick for president at the voting booth. You get to choose your wellness during this trying time in the country. Below are three ways you can keep your cool:
• UNPLUG – If deleting apps or turning off the incessant noise of the media becomes a challenge, you’re not alone. It’s easier said than done for most of us to get off the socials or to avoid the 24-hour news cycle during election season. Head to your app settings and block words and accounts to prevent them from coming up in your newsfeeds. Subscribe to positive vibes-only news outlets to get your dose of media without the mayhem. If redirection doesn’t do the trick, log out of the social media apps on your devices so that you are greeted with a sign-in page instead of the latest political spewing. You’re less likely to engage media if you aren’t automatically logged in.
• UNWIND – Along with signing out of those pesky apps and powering off the television talking heads, use this time to be with family and friends. That said, election season can bring out the worst in the people we love most. Be intentional about with whom you spend your downtime. Communicate to your loved ones that you aren’t interested in discussing the election drama.
• UNLOCK – The best thing about this time of year is the change in season. It’s the perfect weather for outdoor activity with all the cool breezes and none of the sweltering heat. Instead of turning on the news to the inevitable mudslinging, go out for a post-dinner walk. If you find yourself debating with a stranger or, most likely, a bot online, log off and go for a run instead. Not in the mood to sweat? Try some yoga first thing in the morning or before bed to release your stress. You can even use your breath to find the calm you seek without moving your body at all.
My fellow Americans, being stressed over the election is a choice, but so is wellness. Know that you can avoid the dramatics of political theater while fully participating in the electoral process. Voting is self-care because opting out with silence stifles your wellness. Get unplugged from the socials, unwind with your tribe and unlock your bodies to arrive at the ballot box on Election Day — unbothered!
Pick up a copy of the Black Iowa Voter Guide — out for delivery!
About Kellee Forkenbrock:
Kellee Forkenbrock is the award-winning public services librarian for North Liberty Library in North Liberty, Iowa. As a writer, she has penned a dozen romance novels under the pseudonym Eliza David and has contributed to publications such as Little Village and the UnityPoint Health blog. A certified Pilates and yoga instructor, Kellee launched her movement coaching brand, The Goddess Grounded LLC, in 2024. Kellee is active in her community, having lent her service to the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees, Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa, and currently as an ambassador for Greater Iowa City and as board vice president for Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. Read more about Kellee on her LinkedIn profile.
First published in Black Iowa News and the Black Iowa Voter Guide
IOWA WRITERS’ COLLABORATIVE
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Live, Des Moines
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Rachelle Chase : Reading with Rachelle, Ottumwa
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Steph C: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Randy Evans:Â Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Marianne Fons:Â Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Rob Gray's Area: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman:Â The Seven Times, Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Iowa Podcasters' Collaborative
Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: Chris’s Substack, Iowa City
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters From Iowans
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Alison McGaughey: The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Steve Semken:Â Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Kali White VanBaale: 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
 | A guest post by
|