In late August, more than 3000 U.S. adults were polled about where their stress levels lie as we get closer to the election, and more than seven in ten respondents said the future of the nation was a significant source of stress in their lives.
Meanwhile, according to the report from the American Psychological Association, even among people with different political affiliations, 72% said they are worried that the election results could lead to violence.
RELATED STORY | Scripps News Investigates: A surge of political violence in America
More than half of adults, 56%, say they believed the 2024 presidential election could be the end of democracy in the US. And about a third of adults, 32%, said the political climate has caused strain among them and their family members.
"What we're seeing is that people are making life decisions based on how they feel about the election," explained Arthur C. Evans Jr., clinical psychologist and CEO of the American Psychological Association. "For example, a number of people believe it's actually considered moving to a different country or to a different state — 40% of people have reported that. And then the other life decision, our area of life decisions that are being affected is in family relation. So a third of people are saying they're actually spending less time with family members because of their differences in political ideology."
Psychology experts agree that any time we talk about stress we need to highlight the difference between something like stress and anxiety, both of which can come with physical symptoms like tension, headaches or body pain, high blood pressure, and loss of sleep.
RELATED STORY | Scripps News exclusive: US Capitol Police chief confident agency is prepared for potential election violence
The National Institutes of Health puts it simply: anxiety is that internal reaction to stress. And when it gets to be pervasive everyday dread — even when there is no immediate threat — it can begin to interfere with your things like work, family life, personal life, school life, and more.
When experiencing prolonged periods of stress and anxiety, experts say it's good to take time to care for yourself or consider talking with your primary care provider about what you're thinking and feeling.
