'Stop doom scrolling': Uptick in Wisconsin patients from electioninduced stress and anxiety
Oct 29, 2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - There is no escaping it: the political advertisements and heated disputes are getting to Wisconsinites as the days to election day wind down.
“Lots of ads coming in the mail, they found me on my phone, my 16-year-old can’t watch YouTube without political ads popping up," Susan Obermiller of Green Bay said.
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“I think it can definitely be too much at times, especially on television, and I think that can definitely overwhelm people at times," Abrams resident Keshawn Katers said.
And besides the voters themselves, the mental health care professionals are seeing the effects play out in their clinics.
“Absolutely, absolutely. Information overload, as well as feeling helpless, hopeless, and out of control. I hear a lot of people say, ‘I’m not sure what I’m going to do if this happens or that happens,’" Bellin Health psychotherapist Nicole Norcross said. “People are just very connected to information because of social media and all the different types of news we have out there that it’s hard to get away from. So it becomes a talking point just because people are exposed to it.”
Frequently, it is not undecided voters losing sleep over who they will vote for, it is the ones who have already decided that struggle with the ceaseless political ads and arguing.
“A lot of people who have already decided on who they’re going to vote for, it’s just frustrating to hear that stuff over and over again," Norcross said. “Most of the time people don’t want you to dismiss their feelings, they just want to be heard and have someone acknowledge their experience of this.”
Norcross encourages her patients to focus on what is within their control, and to be at peace with things like election results being outside of their control.
“What kind of impact they want to make so that after this election they feel like everything they possibly could," Norcross said. "I encourage people to focus on their scope of influence, so talking to friends and family about issues, or just encouraging people to register to vote, either way.”
That is not to say that all battleground state voters are fretting over the weight of the election in their states. Some, like Obermiller, see this as an opportunity to settle the score of the last several combative years and will move on regardless of the result of the election.
“Everybody get out there and vote on Tuesday. Have your say, and then let’s just move on. Because hashing it over and being negative, it’s not going to do you any good," Obermiller said. “Just embrace the process and be positive about and teach our youth about how great of a country this is that we have.”
“I’m kind of excited about it, honestly, because it’s a big deal. You see all the news and stuff everywhere about it but I feel there’s no need to get too stressed about it because at the end of the day, things are going to happen the way they happen," Katers said. “President, it’s a big deal, but they’re not necessarily influencing all things that are happening around us every time.”
For those who are worried and are overwhelmed by how much is on the line in the election, Norcross has tips to follow to manage and mitigate stress and anxiety.
“Stop doom scrolling and try to set limits of how much information they take in during the day and how much information they take in,” she said. “Trying to focus on their values and activities that make them feel like themselves, doing what you’ve always done, exercising, reading, trying to feel human again. And I would encourage people to remind themselves that it is normal to worry about things like this because it means that you care.”
Some patients' levels of anxiety and stress reach a level that they require treatment with medication.
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But for Obermiller, she says to remember the big picture.
“As a country, let’s just get this election and let’s start with the new administration and go forward," Obermiller said. “We live in a great country, let’s just remember that.”