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Blueberrybook
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Default Sep 23, 2024 at 01:36 PM
  #1
I know I have anxiety issues about a lot of things but one thing that is getting me extremely anxious is the upcoming presidental election.

I'm not going to turn this into a political debate thread, just suffice it to say that I am EXTREMELY anxious about the election outcome. I'm to the point where if H starts discussing politics & the upcoming election, I start having panic attacks. Reading a lot of the news headlines about the election also cause me extremely high anxiety and even a few panic attacks. I have been trying to avoid reading the news headlines but somehow always get drawn back into it.

Is this crazy or what? I have never been so anxious about an election outcome before, I mean not to this point. Can anyone relate?

I don't know HOW to even make this better

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Last edited by Blueberrybook; Sep 23, 2024 at 01:57 PM..
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Default Sep 23, 2024 at 02:41 PM
  #2
Oh, I can relate. It causes me huge anxiety. I control it cause I only watch the local news for weather. All the rest I get off safe sites like NPR and CNN reading is somehow easier. If people in my building talk about it I walk away. Of course living alone makes it easier to control my environment.

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Default Sep 23, 2024 at 03:43 PM
  #3
Yeah when it gets to me i will binge watch a british murder mystery series - something to take me away to another place and time.
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Default Oct 02, 2024 at 10:23 AM
  #4
When I’ve felt like this in the past I’ve said to my husband that I find the talk of politics upsetting and as I can’t influence it in any way I prefer not to talk or think about it. I guess it’s boundaries.

Do you practice grounding techniques? Distraction, doing something you enjoy and absorbs you?
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Default Oct 02, 2024 at 02:07 PM
  #5
I don't have a lot of anxiety about it, but I for sure am not positively impacted by what's going on (I have occasionally questioned if I'm an AsPDer that just got dx'd with BPD because I have boobs because I just give zero fks and have the mentality that "if they want to ruin the world, let them, we'll see how that works out. See you in hell; as a heads up the bars close at 10.") I don't seek out any news (I don't even do local news because even though there's no presidential election ****, the Ayotte vs. Craig battle feels like I'm five and my mom's telling me to tell my dad he's a dumbass and my dad then telliing me to tell my mom she's an a-hole and neither of them listen to the other but I'm just there hating everyone).

Regardless, I'm doing my best to switch to dark humor mode and tell myself the only thing I can really do is vote, stay away from the news, and hope if I end up the receiving end of someone else's political hatred in a violent manner it's either a quick death or something I can see justice in.

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Unhappy Oct 02, 2024 at 02:12 PM
  #6
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueberrybook View Post
I know I have anxiety issues about a lot of things but one thing that is getting me extremely anxious is the upcoming presidental election.

I'm not going to turn this into a political debate thread, just suffice it to say that I am EXTREMELY anxious about the election outcome. I'm to the point where if H starts discussing politics & the upcoming election, I start having panic attacks. Reading a lot of the news headlines about the election also cause me extremely high anxiety and even a few panic attacks. I have been trying to avoid reading the news headlines but somehow always get drawn back into it.

Is this crazy or what? I have never been so anxious about an election outcome before, I mean not to this point. Can anyone relate?

I don't know HOW to even make this better

I haven't been this way since 2020, and here we are 4 years later.

I feel your anxiety. Also feel helpless because I feel our voting isn't enough. I fear another January 6th, the safety of election workers, disinformation and AI. Russia, China, Iran, North Korea.

What I do is try to stick to the headlines, and not read the actual article with it. I watch Nightly News with Lester Holt mostly because I like him. But I fast forward past some things. I've also found I have to avoid looking at the News Widget on my phone because the most dire headlines always show up. And most of them are about the election. For some reason, ever since the stupid software update my news notifications aren't working. But maybe that's a good thing for now.

CNN, MSNBC, etc. I avoid except to scan headlines if I can take it. I watch The 11th Hour sometimes but not all the time because it is mostly about the election.

I've stocked up on comfort food, and stuff like toilet paper silly as that may seem. It's a mundane item that I have control over. Everything else feels out of control, even the extreme weather.

Add the fact that the days are much shorter and will get drastically shorter in about a month, dark days are ahead. It's just before the election too.

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presidental election anxiety/panic

Hmmm....looks like some good tips in here.


presidental election anxiety/panic

"Okay, enough photos. I'm a very BUSY Business Kitty, so make an appointment next time."
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Default Oct 02, 2024 at 02:25 PM
  #7
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Originally Posted by nonightowl View Post

I've stocked up on comfort food, and stuff like toilet paper silly as that may seem. It's a mundane item that I have control over. Everything else feels out of control, even the extreme weather.
Hey, that toilet paper might be worth it's volume in gold again. Hopefully not.

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Default Oct 02, 2024 at 02:37 PM
  #8
Im disappointed that youtube shows like meidas touch clickbait you, with old or misleading junk. They are losing me as a customer.
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Shocked Oct 03, 2024 at 08:51 AM
  #9
I heard on the news how some polling places are installing things like panic buttons, bulletproof glass and separate ventilation systems! I don't remember this in the 2020 election.

This election is killing me.

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presidental election anxiety/panic

Hmmm....looks like some good tips in here.


presidental election anxiety/panic

"Okay, enough photos. I'm a very BUSY Business Kitty, so make an appointment next time."
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Default Oct 03, 2024 at 10:22 AM
  #10
I’m not voting in person. I have my ballot and can vote at home anytime this month.

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Unhappy Oct 03, 2024 at 01:00 PM
  #11
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I’m not voting in person. I have my ballot and can vote at home anytime this month.
Me too. But not everyone does that or has the option. I haven't voted in person since I was in my 20's.......SUCH a different world then. Voting now could put one in danger.

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presidental election anxiety/panic

Hmmm....looks like some good tips in here.


presidental election anxiety/panic

"Okay, enough photos. I'm a very BUSY Business Kitty, so make an appointment next time."
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Default Oct 04, 2024 at 09:22 AM
  #12
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Me too. But not everyone does that or has the option. I haven't voted in person since I was in my 20's.......SUCH a different world then. Voting now could put one in danger.
“I’m not in danger, Skylar. I AM THE DANGER.”
(I’m not, but for some reason that came to my head and now I’m having a lot of Breaking Bad scenes run through my head).

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Unhappy Oct 05, 2024 at 11:12 AM
  #13
Silly maybe but I have a piece of frosted cake set aside for this. Whatever the outcome, I'm going to indulge in that piece of cake. Bad for my blood sugar but to h e l l with that on THAT day. It's comfort food.

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presidental election anxiety/panic

Hmmm....looks like some good tips in here.


presidental election anxiety/panic

"Okay, enough photos. I'm a very BUSY Business Kitty, so make an appointment next time."
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Default Oct 05, 2024 at 02:19 PM
  #14
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Originally Posted by nonightowl View Post
Silly maybe but I have a piece of frosted cake set aside for this. Whatever the outcome, I'm going to indulge in that piece of cake. Bad for my blood sugar but to h e l l with that on THAT day. It's comfort food.
Now that sounds like a plan!

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Ooo Oct 05, 2024 at 02:42 PM
  #15
It's 30 days from now.

Sometimes I see a countdown clock on channels like CNN. Like for a ticking bomb or something.

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presidental election anxiety/panic

Hmmm....looks like some good tips in here.


presidental election anxiety/panic

"Okay, enough photos. I'm a very BUSY Business Kitty, so make an appointment next time."
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Default Oct 05, 2024 at 03:38 PM
  #16
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Originally Posted by nonightowl View Post
It's 30 days from now.

Sometimes I see a countdown clock on channels like CNN. Like for a ticking bomb or something.
Now media are starting to talk about "the october surprise."

Im going to pretend im the LiMu Emu and bury my head under the covers!
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Default Oct 05, 2024 at 04:12 PM
  #17
I haven’t had the news on for about a week. I almost forget there’s an election. Almost.

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Default Oct 10, 2024 at 03:00 PM
  #18
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Originally Posted by nonightowl View Post
It's 30 days from now.

Sometimes I see a countdown clock on channels like CNN. Like for a ticking bomb or something.
Seeing a countdown ticking clock would drive me into a full-on panic attack! I'm glad I don't watch news channels! I don't even watch the local news unless there's some local big event like a hurricane heading my way or a chemical plant explosion.

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Unhappy Oct 10, 2024 at 03:47 PM
  #19
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Originally Posted by Blueberrybook View Post
Seeing a countdown ticking clock would drive me into a full-on panic attack! I'm glad I don't watch news channels! I don't even watch the local news unless there's some local big event like a hurricane heading my way or a chemical plant explosion.
It reminds me of how they used to show the latest Covid statistics in the corner of the screen.

I just scan the headlines; I don't listen to any of the commentary about it. Local news just weekly, but only the headlines again. Lately I've ALMOST forgotten there's an election, but then I got my ballot in the mail this week.

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presidental election anxiety/panic

Hmmm....looks like some good tips in here.


presidental election anxiety/panic

"Okay, enough photos. I'm a very BUSY Business Kitty, so make an appointment next time."
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Default Oct 10, 2024 at 04:14 PM
  #20
I feel better now that i filled in my ballot, even tho i havent mailed it in yet.

I tend to do this a lot, not realize i am worrying about stuff i am procrastinating about.
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