Politics on the brain
Balancing mental health during election season
You aren’t alone in feeling upset, stressed or just blatantly confused going into this November. Trust me, I am upping my meds as we speak.
How are you supposed to feel safe and comfortable with politics when you can’t discuss it without starting an argument? Just think about these types of common attitudes:
“She’s your grandma, you can’t argue with her.”
“Just ignore my boyfriend, he didn’t mean to say that.”
“This is a workplace, you can’t discuss that.”
The topics and beliefs that most affect your life, you can’t discuss without being called "rude." Tell me what is rude about wanting to know why you believe what you believe?
As someone who has dreamed about voting in my first presidential election since I was 8 years old, it is so upsetting to know that I can barely acknowledge who I am voting for or why I am voting that way, because that’s now seen as an attack.
Against popular belief, it is impossible for an individual to be non-partisan. Politics is the world you live and breathe every day.
Being partisan isn’t objectively a bad thing. Hurray, you have core values! Being partisan means we get to have actual impactful conversations.
It’s not revolutionary to want a middle-ground conversation, but those happen best when you can understand and grow from a new perspective.
Have you ever sat in a room full of people with almost the same opinions? It’s God-awful. You sit and moan over the same issues that you know anger everyone. You agree with one another and give yourself a pat on the back.
But what did you gain? A stronger hatred for the other side? Great, a larger political divide.
As most of us are aware, these conversations are not a walk in the park. They are difficult and take a lot of courage. This stress builds up, but it doesn’t have to keep you from being active in the government that you’re supposed to have a voice in.
Whether it is election stress or everyday anxiety, Central Michigan University has an abundance of resources available to help.
CMU has 24/7 hotlines and resources available to students. You shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed or scared to ask for help.
You can also join various registered student organizations on campus that are intended to help you understand the current political climate and how to handle voting. Central Votes is a great way to learn about the decision you have to make; or if you are looking to get involved with your political party, they both have on-campus RSOs.
Currently my personal favorite way to balance stress is to write out all my thoughts. I write down what I’m scared about, and why I think I’m fearful of that. My most recent fear was about a few certain politicians threatening my reproductive and marital rights. I handled it by listing what all possible scenarios were and how I would work around it.
Another option that I recommend to anyone is having an open-ended conversation. Talk to your roommate about how the folks that table and holler at you and make you anxious. (P.S. I am one of those people tableing for an RSO, and I apologize in advance.)
You can also rant, cry or throw a shoe at the wall. Well ... maybe don’t throw a shoe, but you get the point.
The bottom line is that you can’t bundle all your anger and stress during this season. Express those thoughts before you write down your vote on that ballot; otherwise, it could cloud your vision of who to vote for or whether you vote at all.
Your vote matters, and so do you.
Keara Banks is a freshman majoring in political science with minors in public law and leadership.
