With the presidential election Tuesday, November has brought a flurry of stress for many.
Seventy-seven percent of adults reported “the future of our nation” as “a significant source of stress in their lives,” followed closely by the U.S. Presidential Election at 69%, according to 2024 polling by the American Psychological Association.
“I would say I’m just stressed, mostly for what my future holds,” sophomore Violet Rossini said.
Associate Professor of Justice and Peace Studies Amy Finnegan is the faculty advisor for Students for Justice and Peace. She said part of what is causing stress is that the issues at stake in this election — such as reproductive justice and immigration — will directly impact large groups of people. Uncertainty leads to more fear within these communities.
“I live with that too, because I am a community member connected to many of those communities,” Finnegan said.
Another stressor for many is the waiting period that comes in the days — and sometimes weeks — after election day, Finnegan said. “Because we are quite polarized as a country, it is very likely that we will not go to bed on Nov. 5 knowing who our next elected president is,” she said.
Sophomore Phoenix Capra said that he finds this election to be stressful due to polarization. “I think that this is an election that could fundamentally alter America, both economically and socially, and could be very divisive,” Capra said.
Remembering the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, has led some, like Finnegan, to anxiously wonder if history will repeat itself.
These strong negative emotions can be difficult to navigate, but Political Science Chair Renee Buhr said that her field allows her to look at things objectively.
“(Political science) allows you to take the screaming person in the back of your brain and sort of push it aside and focus more objectively on what’s happening. I find that helpful because it allows me to focus without being overwhelmed by the information,” Buhr said.
Buhr’s main focuses within political science are comparative politics and international relations: the study of how the U.S. engages with global issues. Buhr said that leaders directly influence these global issues.
“I’m deeply concerned with the presidential election because the impact of American foreign policy on the rest of the world is so powerful … The American president has a great deal of power to influence things in good and bad ways, and that’s if you care at all about what’s happening outside of U.S. borders,” Buhr said.
Buhr said the biggest challenge in this election cycle is that there are many crises to focus on at any given time, a transformation that is “deeply abnormal.”
“When I taught international relations classes 15 years ago, there would be one crisis, and we could follow it for like three years. Now, every two weeks, there is a new crisis, and they are all overlapping at the same time,” Buhr said.
Trying to keep up with multiple stressors can be challenging. For students at St. Thomas, midterm exams fell in late October, adding to the anxiety that some students, such as sophomore Asha Patani, felt.
“My anxiety is pretty up there. … But I’m trying to keep that kind of under wraps until next week (after the election) because I have my midterms,” Patani said.
Sophomore Jake Johnson is also worried about the election.
“I am very much wrapped up in the politics of this nation; I find myself worrying or thinking about it quite often,” Johnson said.
It can be frustrating that the future is unknown, and this is amplified for those who feel they can’t make an impact, Finnegan said.
“My kids are experiencing it, even though they aren’t even able to vote. They’re like, ‘Oh god, there is something really big happening,’ and they notice that people seem nervous,” she said.
Buhr said that it is easy to become discouraged by the lack of social change throughout history.
“There’s plenty of historical evidence to prove that we are capable of fixing things. But, the more you know the history, a lot of times we just don’t fix things,” Buhr said.
How to reduce stress
To alleviate the feeling of helplessness, Finnegan emphasized the importance of voting down the ballot to see change. She said that the candidates voters elect in the state, city council and school board races are integral to allowing citizens to contribute to public decision-making.
“In terms of our individual impact, it’s more local,” Finnegan said. “I hope that … the students and our community members can recognize that voting is just one sliver amongst an array, a range, of ways that we can engage in politics.”
Self-care is key to decreasing stress levels, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Self-care practices include prioritizing sleep, exercise and gratitude, among others.
Finnegan has explored somatic practice, which includes mindfulness, body awareness and breathing to settle the nervous system.
“When we can settle ourselves, we can have more capacity to respond with gentleness, with love and with hope,” Finnegan said.
Aside from mindfulness, there are other ways to combat stress. Buhr recommended limiting media consumption and surrounding oneself with family away from the “chaos.”
On campus, organizations like Feminist Community and Queer Straight Alliance are hosting events on Election Day to create a safe space. The Luann Dummer Center for Women will be offering crafts, music, food and peer support all day. The Create Space is also hosting “Creative Calm: Election Day Crafts,” an event meant to “create a peaceful environment to unwind, create, and relax.”
“This is an important choice that we have on Nov. 5 … We can vote, and then be with the people who give us support while we wait in our anxious moments,” Finnegan said.
Sabrina Thompson can be reached at thom4836@stthomas.edu.