UW has resources to help you cope with election anxiety

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Jessica Cole. This entry was posted in Life Events and Changes, Staying Healthy. Bookmark the permalink.

The start of a new academic year can bring a mix of emotions, from excitement to moments of anxiety. This fall, as we approach the 2024 election, it’s normal to feel a bit more tension with races at the national, state and local level. Anticipating these changes while managing everyday stressors can sometimes feel overwhelming.

While we can’t remove the factors that are causing your stress, the University of Washington offers resources to help manage the added stress and anxiety as we approach the finale of this long, drawn out election season. Faculty and staff can find activities to help stay grounded and resilient, while managers can find guidance and resources to keep teams connected and supported

Build stress relief into your daily schedule

Stress builds and accumulates, creating pressure that can keep us from being our best selves for our families, friends and work teams. Adding daily stress reduction activities to your schedule can help release some of this pressure.

Through The Whole U’s 2024 Election Support Series, we’re offering these resources to help:

• Take daily mindfulness breaks – Join us for two weeks of online guided meditation — from Monday, October 28 to Friday, November 8. Find a quiet, relaxing space and log on to Zoom for 10 minutes of mindfulness from 11:15-11:30 a.m. every weekday.
• Receive daily well-being reminders – Register to receive 14 days of well-being reminders to help you stay grounded and centered amid the anxieties of your life. From Monday, October 28, through Friday, November 8, you will find a daily reminder in your email inbox to take a step back and focus on the aspects of your life outside the election with concrete action items and prompts for reflections. If email doesn’t work for you, you can also access the daily well-being reminders on The Whole U site.
• Get up and move your body – Exercise reduces stress and increases happiness. Be intentional about building your favorite exercise into your daily routine. A great way to do this is through The Whole U’s daily 15-minute movement break, from 11-11:15 a.m. every weekday.
• Restore yourself this Yoga Month – Immerse yourself in the restorative power of yoga with the Whole U all November through a month of stress-reducing classes hosted by The Whole U’s community yoga partners.

Create capacity for empathy

A positive way to cope with anxiety is to be curious about your own feelings and those of others, so that you approach every interaction with empathy, curiosity and kindness. Take note of behavioral changes in yourself and those around you. Approach behavioral shifts with curiosity and attempt to name those feelings and learn what’s behind them.

We’ve curated some resources to help:

Learn more about emotional regulation and discover what your emotions can do for you in this featuring the work of Marsha Linehan, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington.

Use the UW’s Employee Assistance Program (WA EAP) to talk with someone about what you’re feeling or learn ways to engage in peaceful discourse with teammates, family and community members.

Consult the WA EAP Election support resource guide for a library of related articles and resources.

Watch the WA EAP webinar on Emotional Intelligence

Take time to check in with yourself

In the coming weeks, you may find yourself feeling more fatigued than usual. Give yourself permission to rest a bit more or set tighter boundaries around social media engagement or political conversations. It is OK to tell friends and family you don’t want to talk about the election. Let them know that avoiding election talk is a strategy to support your health and well-being, not a way to silence anyone’s opinion. Normalizing self-care by talking about it can help everyone.

Managers and leaders: support your teams

Times of stress may feel unwelcome and painful. However, discomfort creates an opportunity for connection and learning. These are very human experiences that we’re all going through together. Even if we don’t always agree, we are united in caring deeply about our collective futures. When we show up for each other in a caring, kind and curious way, we can grow and learn from one another and strengthen the bonds of our teams and communities.

As managers and leaders, it’s important to create belonging and psychological safety in the workplace. Every situation challenges us to learn new ways to do this. Here are some resources that can help:

Build your Leadership toolkit with help from this on-demand webinar by Ujima Sands, Assistant Vice President of Total Talent Management in UW Human Resources.

Request a consultation with an experienced professional at WA Employee Assistance Program who can support you in leading a team.

Watch the WA EAP webinar on Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety

Prioritize self-care, empathy and connection

As we navigate these uncertain times together, it is essential to prioritize self-care, empathy and connection. We may not have control over every external factor, but by fostering resilience within ourselves and our teams, we can emerge stronger. We encourage you to take advantage of the resources available from the UW, lean on your community, and remember that support is just a conversation away.