Â鶹ӳ» is a swing state, creating many opportunities for political engagement and discourse. However, this political atmosphere can also lead to a sense of pressure or a feeling of unease for voters. After all, swing states are also referred to as the more confrontational term “battleground states.” While the duty to exercise the right to vote is incredibly important, so too is ensuring voters maintain their mental health throughout the process. Markus Kemmelmeier, Ph.D., who currently serves as vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School, explains some techniques and offers perspective into how one can protect their mental health while actively engaging in political discourse and election cycle activities.
Media consumption patterns
In previous decades, one didn’t have much choice in media consumption. There were only a certain number of TV channels to pick from and the political ads had a good chance of reaching everyone (often). Now, with streaming platforms, ways to skip over advertisements entirely, social media including YouTube, and much more freedom of choice of what to consume, people can ignore political material entirely or consume material from one political party with relative ease.
While this lack of exposure to political content may be concerning to those who desire the country’s voter base to be well-informed, balanced and engaged, Kemmelmeier said it could actually be beneficial for personal mental health.
"Mental health is often tied to a sense of belonging." - Kemmelmeier
“Mental health is often tied to a sense of belonging. The stronger one’s sense of belonging to a social group is, the healthier and more secure one feels,” he said. “Consuming political media that agrees with one’s point of view can bolster that sense of belonging.”
People often get a lot of mental health benefits from seeing their political “team” do well or even by commiserating with those who support the same “team” if the party does not do well after an election.
“Partisanship can be disruptive and create a sense of hostility or even hatred, but on the other hand, it’s often rooted in a sense of belonging and helps people to see that there are people who feel just like them,” Kemmelmeier said. “It can be affirming.”
The decision of how much balanced political media versus how much partisan media one wants to consume is based solely on preferences. It can be better for one’s mental health to consume less media, to consume balanced media or to consume solely the media of one side or the other.
The impact of negative political ads
Negativity in political ads is commonplace. There tend to be a lot of accusations of the “other” party and of the “other” candidate, which can turn condemning.
“When negative political ads get to the point that they start to make you feel like the world is a dangerous place and trigger a fight or flight response, that is when you need to consider if you need to take more control over your news consumption,” Kemmelmeier said. “Opting for news sources that you prefer, that either support your point of view or are deliberately neutral can take the sting off of that feeling.”
If you are experiencing a lot of fear and confusion, it can be helpful to get more informed and engaged about the issues.
“Stress can be the result of a sense of threat – the idea that our own resources cannot meet the challenges we’re facing,” Kemmelmeier said. “People generally try one of three things when facing stress: to minimize the threat, decrease exposure to the threat or build their resources.”
Talking and learning about political issues can bolster one's sense of resources.Learning more about an issue that has received a lot of negativity in political ads and feels like a threat can help increase one’s sense of personal resources and strengthen one’s sense of belonging. When a person is informed, they can determine if they truly are afraid of the perceived threat or if they feel confident that engaging in the political process will help alleviate it.
Even if one is engaged passionately in the issues and enjoys participating in partisan politics, having an outlet that is completely removed from politics can be a healthy choice.
“People who are very much engaged in stressful topics usually have an outlet with people who aren’t,” Kemmelmeier said. “They partake in a favorite activity where people aren’t engaged at all with the discourse. That separation can be very beneficial. … Take a break to have fun doing something nonpolitical like going on a walk, hanging out with friends who don’t talk politics, taking a bath … anything that creates a separate experience.”
Whatever strategies folks use to minimize their sense of threat is up to them, and Kemmelmeier said that there is power in having that choice and control in creating one’s environment.
Also, keep in mind that people are all very different. Some people get a kick out of being a contrarian, so it may not even harm their sense of belonging or mental health to argue passionately and frequently about politics. They may seek out those willing to disagree with them. Different approaches are effective for different people.
A slippery slope
However, the decisions one makes can and do have consequences on one’s relationships with others, especially with those who hold different political opinions. Being deliberately disengaged from the political process altogether can have a negative impact on mental health if most of the people around someone that they know and interact with are engaged politically and expect them to be as well. Keeping silent can be just as damaging to a sense of belonging as outright disagreement, depending on one’s social circle.
In that same vein, it can disrupt relationships if an individual wants to constantly talk politics or if they’re continuously looking at the current political headlines on their phone when their social circle isn’t as interested as they are, Kemmelmeier said.
“It's easy to insulate yourself in today’s media landscape, which is problematic in itself because you often won’t be exposed to the other point of view,” Kemmelmeier said. “In some ways by attempting to protect your sense of belonging, it could be negative in that you aren’t seeing the full picture. It depends on your curiosity.”
A place for compassion – shifting your mindset
One person’s “close-mindedness” may be another’s attempt to control their environment and insulate themselves from stress. People may do well to have a bit of empathy when encountering someone who seems cut off from open political discourse.
"Remember that stress itself isn’t bad. There are times when stress and the experience of stress itself helps your sense of belonging." - Kemmelmeier
“Remember that stress itself isn’t bad. There are times when stress and the experience of stress itself helps your sense of belonging. You may want to lean into experiencing the stress because if you don’t experience it, then you may not be one of the ‘team.’ You may lose status if you aren’t upset.
“Shared stress has a very different quality than stress you are experiencing yourself or on your own. Being anxious with a friend beats being anxious by yourself any day of the week. Stress can help forge social bonds. Emotion is often what binds people together,” Kemmelmeier said.
