Politics may actually be stressing you out (2024)

After 23 of years working in the mental health field, Angela Grayson encountered something totally new.

For the first time, some of her patients pointed directly to the president of the United States as a major cause of their stress.

"The change in the political climate has affected a lot of people," says Grayson, ofGood Fruit Expressive Arts Counseling & Psychotherapy in Talleyville, Delaware.

She said she has seen a 30percent increase in patients over the past year. "They come in complaining about feeling overwhelmed anddepressed," she said, "both personally and in the workplace."

Grayson's anecdotal experience backs up conclusions reached by the American Psychological Association, which recently released itsannual"Stress in America" report.The study found that 63 percentof Americans say the future of the nation is a very or somewhat significant source of stress for them.

"I don't know of a single person who hasn't been affected by this to a high degree," said D.W. Dunphy, a writer and editor in Middletown, New Jersey. "In the past, people used to be able to compartmentalize, but now, politics is like water. It's seeping into everything."

Everybody is exhausted: 2017 - a year of exhaustion, stress and anxiety

Health: Fitness Centers are a new frontier for North Jersey hospitals

"There used to be topics you'd avoid discussing at Thanksgiving because you didn't want to start an argument," Dunphy said. "But now, when something as common as football has been politicized, there aren't many safe topics left. It's almost like it's Thanksgiving every day."

"We live in a world where everyone has to be right, where the folks you would expect to set the example debase themselves and one another on a daily basis," said Terry Luciani, an independent voter and dad in his 40s from Monroe Township, New Jersey.

In the APA report, politics and policy edged outthe usual causes of stress, such asmoney (62 percent) and work (61 percent). Even though survey respondents included people who lived through World War II, the Vietnam War and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, 59 percent said theyconsider the current time to be the lowest point in U.S. history that they can remember.

"Every year for the last 11 years, we've asked about stress related to money and work — they are almost always the top two. This year, we found that stress about the nation was on par with those, which was surprising to us," saysVaile Wright, director of research and special projects for the association.

Wright's research over that time shows average stress levels in the country have trended downwards with "the exception of a statistically significant spike in January right before the inauguration."

While those average stress levels have stabilized,more people are reporting symptoms of stress such as headaches, stomach problems andinsomnia.

Article continues below

"I'm really outraged at the tone of things now," says Terrance Vann, 26, an artist based in Wilmington, Delaware, who painted President Donald Trump with the words "racist joke" across his face after hearing about his vulgar comments regardingHaiti and Africa. "This is how we're being represented? What does it say about how far we've come?"

"All those folks who say politics are the same as it has always been, I disagree," Luciani said. "A simple rule should be that anything the elected officials of our country speak about, whether in a debate or in their elected roles, should be fine for an elementary student to read. This is not the case anymore."

Barbara Winkler, a visual arts teacher who lives in New Castle, Delaware, says Election Night 2016 left her "emotionally and physically upset."

"And watching it go in the opposite of the direction of everything I believe in and fought for the future," Winkler said, "it just seems that every section is being torn down. It's very hard."

Article continues after poll

Wright, of the APA, said therapists take note when circ*mstances outside of a patient's personal life cause significant stress.

"Those things also spark our attention because when you have these symptoms of stress, that's a troubling indicator for chronic health problems if not treated," Wright says.

In Talleyville, Grayson recentlysurveyed her two fellow counselors at Good Fruit, and they also reported a significant increase in people complaining about stress, specifically because of the political climate and how it's affecting them.

Grayson suggests meditation, journaling, yoga, walks and avoiding the computer and cellphones as good ways to combat stress. Even the act of picking up aphone and talking to a friend instead of texting them can help, she adds.

"Everybody is gluedto the TV or their phone and computer as they check all the social media outlets, so the socialization aspect of their lives has declined significantly, which causes a lot of stress because we need interaction," Grayson says.

Dave Williams, 54, of Brick, New Jersey, puts it another way: "The best antidote for feeling like you can't do anything, is to do something."

But because it is so easy to vent on social media, it is a tacticthat many find hard to resist.

Vann, a 2017 DelawareDivisionof theArts fellow, turns to his paintbrush as an outlet. His work usually radiates inspiration, such as theMartin LutherKing Jr. mural hecreated that iscurrently on display at theDelaware Art Museum.

But after hearing racistcomments attributed to Trump, Vann posted a picture of his painting of Trump on Facebook, along with this message:"If you support this man, honestly, it is what it is at this point. Just keep your opinion to yourself, and we'll agree to disagree because there is no defending this joke. I'm disgusted. I'm over it."

At the Awareness Center on Main Street in Newark, Delaware, which offers yoga andmeditation for 300 people a month, studio directorRebeccaNorthrop says some of those in search of stress-busting yoga have actually broughttheir cell phones into the studio, placing themnext to their mat.

"Sometimes I will nicely take their phone away from them," Northrop says. "Especially newer folks, they can't let go of their phone."

Neil Meisel, who co-founded the studio in 2001, points to technology as a major cauase of stress.

"A lot of this technology is quite beneficial, but people are getting so hooked by it," he says. "When you have this powerful technology, you need wisdom. And in order to have wisdom, you need to pay attention inside. People are really externally driven these days. We need a balance."

A few miles east in Fair Hill, Maryland, Jeff Kase, a building automation system programmer,is recovering from a stressful training program in Virginia, which concludedwitha nerve-racking nine-hourcertification exam.

Using his Garmin activity tracker, which measures heart rates and offersa stress rating, Kase saw his usual workday score of28-32 jump to 55, breaking his all-time high of 44.

But that grinding sensationof stress wasnot new. In addition to coping with life's usual up's and down's, Kase has also been among those grappling with what's happening politically across the country.

Three days after Election Day in November 2016, the 52-year-old ultra-marathoner completed a non-stop 100-mile race in 28 hours and 44minutes. And even before he took his first step, he was feeling stress, dueto the outcome of the vote.

"I was sufficiently upset over that election that I was emotionally drained going into the race. It made for a very tedious experience," says Kase, whoseconcern over the affairs of state have only escalated in the months since."It all just still boggles my mind."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier). Contact Kelly-Jane Cotter of the Asbury Park Press at kcotter@gannettnj.com or 732-643-4276. Follow her at @KellyJaneCotter.