How to Stay Informed and Balanced in A Chaotic Political Climate

I often hear my clients expressing inner conflict regarding wanting to stay informed regarding politics while also wanting to maintain a sense of peace. The current political climate can feel so threatening, that one may feel they have to take an “all-or-none” approach. Is it possible to both stay informed and not be overwhelmed? If so, how do we accomplish this seemingly futile task? Here are a few strategies that may help you stay both up-to-date while protecting your mental health: 

1. Set Limits on News Consumption:

  • Designate a specific time of day to check the news and only allow for 20-30 minutes of exposure: Instead of checking news throughout the day, try to schedule a specific time (e.g., 20-30 minutes in the morning or evening) to catch up. Do not allow yourself to be exposed to the news outside of this timeframe. Aside from your chosen news exposure, consciously avoid online scrolling, listening to the radio, reading the newspaper, or watching the news. 

  • Use reliable and trusted sources: Choose a few trusted outlets for your information. Keeping your exposure to the news intentional can help avoid misinformation and reduce the stress associated with sensationalized fear-inducing headlines.

2. Practice Mindful Media Consumption

  • Mindful engagement: Be mindful of how you feel when you expose yourself to one particular news source. Acknowledge your emotions without judgement. If you find yourself becoming distressed, take a pause and reassess your limit for the day. Be aware of “breaking news” and certain topics that trigger you and cause distress. Ask yourself, “Is this meaningful and necessary information or is it clickbait?”

3. Create News-free Zones

  • Mental Boundaries: Create mental boundaries in your day that are designated as news-free. Be consistent about not allowing stressful news discussions and thoughts to impact your time. Guard your time that is allotted for self-care, relaxation, or connecting with your family and friends. 

  • Technology Boundaries: Set limits on how many political notifications or updates you get on your phone. This can help you avoid getting pulled into a constant cycle of news updates.

If you have already implemented these limits, but are still feeling anxious, what can you do to deal with that anxiety?? Here are some strategies to help cope with political stress and anxiety: 

1. Breathing and Grounding Techniques

  • 4-7-8 Breathing: Start by emptying your belly by fully exhaling all of the air from your body. Then, inhale for 4 seconds filling up your lungs, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale all the way out for 8 seconds. Repeat this 3 times. This will help regulate the nervous system and immediately help calm your body.

  • Grounding: Interrupt the thoughts you are having and ground yourself into this moment. Begin by focusing on the present moment by identifying things you can see in your environment, things you can feel (e.g.textures, temperature, feet on the ground), things you can hear (sounds in your body and room, outside your room, in the distance),  what you can smell (essential oils, the air), and what you can taste. This exercise can help you connect to your environment and break the cycle of anxiety by reminding your brain that you are safe in this moment.

2. Mindful Movement

  • If you are able to go outside, take short walks in nature. If you are indoors, take a moment to move and stretch your body. Engaging in any physical movement can help reduce stress by releasing endorphins, which naturally improve your mood and mental clarity.

3. Visualization Exercises

  • Calm and Safe Place Meditation: Start by finding a comfortable position seated or lying down. Take several deep diaphragmatic breaths and imagine yourself in a calm, safe place that is real or imaginary. While imagining this place, begin to notice the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations you would feel there. Notice how this feels in your body and give the safe place a name that you can repeat. Take a moment to enjoy the peace and safety of this place. When you are ready, open your eyes and return to the present moment. This can be done for as long or as short as you need. It can help reverse the stress response in your body and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. 

  • Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Take a comfortable position and begin focusing on your breath and your body. Mentally scan your body and notice any tightness, tension, or discomfort that is present. Do this without judgement. Notice how your body feels in this moment as well as the quality of your breath. Imagine relaxing every muscle in your body beginning from your head or beginning from your feet and progressing to move through every area of your body until you get to the other end of your body. When you are done, mentally scan your body and notice how your body and breath feels in this moment as compared to when you began the exercise. You may also do this exercise by visualizing a relaxing color that is progressively moving through your body from the top to the bottom. 

3. Cognitive Reframing

  • Challenge unhelpful thoughts by reminding yourself that you can only control your actions, not the entire political landscape. Shift your focus to what you can change or influence, such as voting or engaging in local activism, to create a sense of agency. 

  • Engage in gratitude for what you do have control over and what is pleasant and present in your life at the moment. Take a moment each day to reflect on people, things, interactions, and events that you are grateful for. 

Eleni BoosalisDel Ray Psych & Wellness