Is Election Anxiety is Affecting Our Kids?

Author

Lakshmi Jayanthi
November 05, 2024

In partnership with

In today's newsletter, I’m addressing two important topics:

  1. How election anxiety affects our children

  2. Finding better sleep during stressful times (jump to section)

The Impact of Election Anxiety on Our Kids

I won't lie - the days leading up to the elections have left me feeling burdened by an abyss of uncertainty that weighs heavily on my mind (and makes me want to raid my children’s Halloween candy!). And I know I'm not alone. According to APA's latest Stress in America survey, more than 7 in 10 adults say the future of the nation (77%) is a significant source of stress, with the economy (73%) and the 2024 U.S. presidential election (69%) following closely behind.

Source: APA

As parents, our anxiety doesn't just affect us - it impacts our kids too. Tricia Thornton, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist, explains that children absorb their parents' emotional states due to mirror neurons within the brain. When we become agitated after listening to political news, our children's mirror neurons mimic that same reactive state.

What Can Parents Do?

Thornton recommends three key strategies:

  • Develop healthy emotional boundaries Monitor your own big feelings, especially when consuming political news. Your emotional state directly influences your child's sense of security.

  • Model positive awareness of feelings Show your children how to acknowledge and process emotions in a healthy way, even during politically charged times.

  • Practice parental self-care. Remember: if the top of the engine breaks down, the whole system suffers. Taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's essential for your family's well-being.

Resources for Parents

  • Speaking of Psychology Podcast: How to cope with political stress this election season - Listen on: Apple Podcasts / Spotify

  • Tips on Talking to Children about the Election - Read here

Finding Rest in Restless Times

Source: Giphy

Speaking of self-care, let's talk about sleep. The past few weeks, I've been waking up at odd hours - sometimes from election anxiety, but more often from my brain's 3 AM habit of reviewing tomorrow's endless to-do list. You know that middle-of-the-night panic about forgotten permission slips, upcoming doctor's appointments, and what to make for dinner? Yeah, that one.

As any adult, I've read countless articles about the importance of rest - quality sleep supports cognitive performance and lowers the risk of various health conditions. While I couldn't control that my body chose to wake me up, I found some techniques more effective than the usual suspects (magnesium, lavender, or the trending Sleepy Girl Mocktail).

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Sleep Hacks That Actually Worked For Me

  • The Boring Book Method Choose a slightly interesting yet mostly snooze-worthy topic. It redirects your focus away from worries while being just engaging enough to disrupt anxiety-driven thought cycles.

  • Consistency Is Key Establish a consistent, relatively early bedtime. This regulates your body's internal clock and promotes better sleep quality. Simple advice but effective: just go to bed already!

  • Nighttime Phone Settings Use your smartphone's "lock screen time" settings. Limit hours for specific apps to prevent late-night doom-scrolling.

  • The Brain Dump Technique

    Keep a notebook by your bed and write down everything before sleep - tasks, worries, random thoughts. Be specific ("call dentist for Sam's cleaning" rather than "schedule appointments"). Think of it as pressing save on your mental computer before shutting down for the night.

  • The 4-7-8 Breathing Method

    A natural tranquilizer for your nervous system, a breathing pattern developed by Dr. Andrew Weil: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat 4 times. The specific counting pattern distracts your mind from worries while the extended exhale naturally relaxes your body.

Share Your Experience

How are you managing election stress with your family? Have you found any unexpected sleep solutions? Reply to this email - I read every response.

Share this newsletter with another parent who might need these strategies. We're all in this together!