Maintaining Our Center & Managing Stress in Times of Uncertainty
October 2024 - Adele Logan O'Keefe
During election years, stress levels among Americans have surged, with increasing reports over the past three elections (2016, 2020, and the upcoming 2024). The American Psychological Association has tracked this trend, revealing that 52% of adults reported significant stress during the 2016 election, a number that rose to 68% in 2020 amid the global pandemic. The 2020 survey indicated that both Democrats and Republicans experienced similar stress levels.
In early 2024, a Pew poll found that 65% of Americans were still reporting high stress. This "Election Stress" reflects fears of uncertainty and a connection to passionate viewpoints, compounded by ongoing global tensions, wars, and political polarization.
So, how can we at UVA and in our surrounding communities maintain a sense of togetherness and belonging?
The University and the Charlottesville community have faced multiple traumatic events over the years that have deeply impacted us, including the tragic November 13th, 2023 shooting. These experiences have stirred a wide range of emotions—fear, grief, and concern—that may lead us to withdraw from one another, avoid difficult conversations, or even retreat from the world.
Protests, both locally and across the country over time, have further reflected the differing opinions and concerns that can shape our communities. These moments remind us of the importance of engaging in open, challenging dialogue to foster understanding and healing.
Adding in layers of our own personal stories, experiences, traumas, racial oppression, and unsolved problems can create a sense of helplessness, particularly during election year cycles. We may feel even a sense of threat to our own personal safety, no matter what we believe in politically.
However, as Brené Brown’s extensive research indicates, we are inherently wired for connection as human beings. Ibram X. Kendi emphasizes in his book How to Be an Antiracist that our ultimate struggle is to embrace our full humanity, which includes actively building connections with those whom we may find politically or socially difficult to relate.
When election cycles emerge, stress can heighten. And, in our fear, we as humans can also tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people when feeling this stress.
Times become uncertain, and for many of us, we can feel concerned our way or understanding of life is being threatened. Some of us may experience heightened anxiety about the potential repetition of historical injustices or oppressive measures that impact us and our loved ones.
Each of us at FEAP have been engaged in training that facilitates examining our biases and experiences to provide the best support for clients in these times of uncertainty. As we are developing our awareness and sensitivity, I recognize that the tips provided in this article are shaped by cultural and personal narratives. My hope is that this article invites reflection on our emotions and offers strategies to manage stress one moment at a time.
Caring For Ourselves & Each Other
Regulate Tension in Your Body
Notice the effects of stress when you engage in conversations, listening to the news, or scrolling the web. If social media raises your stress, reduce the time you spend, not in order to be oblivious to issues and events in the world and our community, but to maintain a wise and healthy relationship with the news. Take 5 slow deep breaths from the belly, same count on the inhale and exhale. Another technique to reduce stress in your body is to lengthen your exhale and add a cooling sensation as if you are blowing bubbles.
Build and Maintain Positive Social Connections
If you find that you are concerned about family discord or rupturing relationships, remember the shared values and hopes that you can communicate to your loved ones as central to your relationships. Understanding others’ perspectives can be a real challenge yet remember that we are built for connection. Explore ways to maintain the love and respect you have for your family and friends, even if perspectives are different or challenging to fully understand. Contact people by phone or make plans in person! Remember that we are also people who seek meaningful connection and contentment, even in the midst of stress.
Express, Don’t Repress
If you notice stress and tension are building within yourself, or even your family, identify 3 ways you can engage in self-care, relaxation, and especially - release. Sometimes, a good, vigorous walk or jog can move blood and oxygen throughout our systems, reduce cortisol stress hormones, and allow us to release pent up tension.
Being in nature in any way can help to also allow our brains to reset without thinking about it! Walking in grass, smelling some flowers, and reminding ourselves what is naturally occurring all around us can help to boost a sense of connection and vitality even with the wild fluctuations of concerns or worries we may experience. Plan a massage, try out acupuncture, or join a new hiking group to explore area trails to expand on your own body’s capabilities for healing and recovery in the midst of tension.
Laugh
Studies in laughter have found that we recognize humor, laughter, and even tickling as a mode of attachment. Jerry Seinfeld once said, “Life is absurd” and he and Larry David created a show to highlight that the many little things we experience every day can only be survived by laughing about this absurdity.
However, when real pain, suffering, devastation, loss, death, and war are occurring, can we allow ourselves to laugh? Can we let ourselves feel a range of emotions and include joy, even in these times of strife? How can it be that we can possibly allow for humor in times of suffering for some so painful that we cannot possibly imagine it? Even in studies of grief and loss, people identify that humor at times is vital to remembering that we are still experiencing life, and laughter can serve as a release.
So, what can we do so as not to create harm or discard suffering others may be feeling? Apply humor wisely and with focus on healthy release with sensitivity for timing and those around you.
Stay Curious
If we are not understanding each other as people, we may feel the need to hold up defenses or filters with each other. One way to help bridge misunderstandings or gaps in relating is to use curiosity to relate to the complexities of life and each other. Be open to learning about how someone came to their perspective—you may discover something new about someone you care about or did not know very well!
Every day, seek to learn something new. Listen to a range of types of music, see artwork by artists new to you, attend speeches or community events to hear what others with differing perspectives may offer. Be careful not to stay in the same areas of information so as to expand our understandings.
If you find that attending community events may cause you to feel your own activation of stress, anxiety, or trauma, consider moving to a quieter space or safer setting where you can then engage in self-comforting strategies. Once we are able to regulate our stress response, it can help to spend some time reflecting on the experience, questioning any assumptions or potential for bias, and tending to painful feelings so that we can identify ways to move forward with clarity and intention.
Step Forward Together
In the end, it is essential for communities like UVA to foster a sense of togetherness and belonging. Election stress, driven by political polarization and global uncertainties, can deeply affect how we interact with others, but it also provides an opportunity for us to strengthen our communal bonds. By focusing on shared values, open communication, and mental health support, we can bridge divides and create environments where people feel connected and supported, even during challenging times. Together, we can build resilience and a sense of unity within UVA and the surrounding community. Learn more about ways that FEAP is working to keep us together by visiting uvafeap.com/together.
If you would like more support during this time or any time, please don’t hesitate to reach out to FEAP—we are here to help.
Contact FEAP
FEAP (8am-5pm M-F): 434-243-2643 (uvafeap.com)
FEAP After-Hours Support: 434-243-2643
About the Author
Adele Logan O’Keefe
Dr. Adele Logan O’Keefe brings over 30 years of experience in counseling and therapeutic education. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the College of William & Mary.
A Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia, she specializes in stress, anxiety, and healing from trauma. Her studies in empathy, resilience, and leadership development create a unique blend of knowledge and approaches for fostering health and vibrance in the workplace.