How not to freak out about the election

On anxiety -- and dealing with it.

In one week, it will be election day.

That sentence — and this next seven days — has, for a long time, made me anxious.

I still remember the first presidential election I ever really covered — the 2000 contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush.

I spent election night — and the weekend before — in New York City. I was a (very) junior member of Charlie Cook’s team at that point and he was part of NBC News election coverage.

While I didn’t have all that much to actually worry about — I wasn’t calling races or going on TV to talk about them at the tender age of 23! — I struggled in the week leading up to the election.

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I am a homebody. Being away from home made me feel less grounded, less centered. I wasn’t surrounded by as many people who really knew me in New York. So, if I was struggling (as I was) with my anxiety, I felt like a) I couldn’t tell anyone and b) it might impact what people thought of me as an employee if I did.

I was also out of my routine. Even back then — in my early 20s — I was a creature of habit. After work in DC, I would come home, play basketball or go for a run and then eat dinner and go to bed. Simple.

That week leading up to the election I didn’t do any of that. I worked. I ate. Worked more.

And to be honest: I struggled. Election night went on and on and on. Florida was called. Then not. It was historic to be so close to the action. I should have been thrilled. Instead I was worried about whether I would be able to fall asleep that night. Or the next night. And what it all might “mean” for my mental well being.

I, obviously, made it through my first election night. (It wound up being more like an election month!)

But, the echoes of that night haunted me for years. In 2004, I was nervous about just making it through. Again, my anxiety wasn’t about doing the job — like whether I would be able to write something I needed to write. It was about feeling unmoored — and routine-less. That something would change in those days that I wouldn’t be able to put right again.

I say all of this because I know — because I talk to lots of my subscribers via Zoom — that many of you are anxious and nervous about the next week. Many worry about the consequences of a Trump victory. Some fret about Kamala Harris winning and turning the U.S. into a communist playground. Plenty of people are anxious that no matter who wins, we could see violent protests on the streets from the losing side.

I get it. And I feel it. Here’s how I deal with it:

1. Go for a walk. Being outside calms me down. Sometimes I listen to a podcast. Other times I just walk with my thoughts. It’s just good to be away from, well, everything for a while.

2. Read some fiction. I find escaping to an entirely different world really helps me. My world of choice — at the moment — is Three Pines, the fictional Quebec village created by author Louise Penny. (I wrote about it here.) Maybe that one works for you. Or you need a different world. Whatever it is — find one.

3. Turn the TV off. I worked in cable news for a long time. And I still go on whenever they ask! But I can guarantee you that you won’t learn anything particularly new about the race or the candidates between now and the election from cable TV. All it will do is make you stressed out.

4. Sleep. My wife likes to tell our kids that sleep is a super power. I take that to heart in moments like this one — where the tendency might be to stay up doom-scrolling just a little longer. We would all be better served to turn off our phone, slam our laptop shut and go to bed.

That usually works for me. I hope it helps you too.

Remember: This isn’t going to end on November 5. Or November 6. Or maybe even November 7. (The 2020 election, which wasn’t nearly as close as polls suggest this one will be, wasn’t called until 4 days after Election Day.)

And, in truth, even once we have a winner, I don’t think the drama about this election is going to just disappear.

I’m in this for the long haul. But, I am also focused on looking after my mental well-being as well as my physical well-being. You need to too!