Post-Election Stress Is A Real And Heavy Thing — And It Shows Up In Surprising Ways

We humans do not do well with uncertainty we cannot control. Donald Trump, a coup-attempting convicted criminal, is set to return to the White House, and what this means for the future of the republic and the rule of law remains unclear.
If you feel like you are at your breaking point right now, you’re not alone.
A fall report from the American Psychological Association found that Americans are deeply worried about the consequences of the 2024 general election. According to a survey of over 3,000 U.S. adults, 7 in 10 U.S. adults said the election was a source of significant stress. More than half said they were worried this election’s results could lead to violence and believed the election results could be the end of democracy in the United States.
Iris Mauss, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said this election is uniquely stressful, partly because it can be destabilizing to feel like you are living in a totally different reality from how half of the country is thinking.
In this election, there is an “extreme divergence of realities where there’s almost no overlap. One party thinks Trump is basically sent by God. The other people think he’s the most evil human in the country,” she said. “There’s no overlap between those realities. And that’s, I think, really unsettling,” she added.
It’s no wonder, then, that no matter how you feel after Election Day, you may fumble through the day feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or like any little setback could be what tips you over the edge. The stress you carry in your body in the days leading up to the election does not suddenly disappear. You may still be surrounded by co-workers or family members whose political views you cannot comprehend.
Psychologists, therapists, and researchers shared symptoms to be on the watch for in the days after this election, as well as tips on how to deal with these emotions:
“The main driver of post-election stress is this uncertainty and the brain’s attempt to answer the big ‘What happens next?’ question,” said Shannon Garcia, a psychotherapist at States of Wellness Counseling in Illinois and Wisconsin.
“Anxiety doesn’t only live in our minds. It shows up in the body as well. That’s why, when you feel anxious, you may notice a heaviness in your chest, difficulty sleeping, or even digestive changes,” Garcia said.
At the same time, you might also be experiencing relief, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the outcome, said Adriana Alejandre, a California-based trauma therapist. When your body experiences release, you could feel sore due to the weeks-long tension you have been holding onto inside yourself.
Overall, “the common somatic symptoms we hear about include headaches, clenched and sore jaw and glutes, stiffness in shoulders, tenderness in upper arms, irritable stomach, and skin picking,” Alejandre said.
Don’t be surprised if a minor setback this week makes you want to cry or yell. Election-related stress is known to lead to a lower emotional threshold to withstand incidents that are completely unrelated to it.
Shevaun Neupert, a psychology professor at North Carolina State University, co-authored a study for Current Psychology that examined daily diaries of participants before and after the 2016 presidential election. She found that people’s self-reported emotional reactivity got worse post-election.
“In the days right after the election, their emotional responses to their own stressors that had nothing to do with the election were off the charts,” she said.
In other words, having trouble finding a parking spot on a regular week may be just a frustrating annoyance. But on an election week, it may feel like “the straw on the metaphorical back” that could be your breaking point, Neupert said as an example.
Elections are a universal stress that impacts us all. Several studies have shown that even the act of voting can increase cortisol, but your bad mood might not go away after you come home from the polls.
Feeling noticeably more depressed and anxious right now? This is normal in the weeks and months after a contentious election. One study by University of Nevada, Reno, economist Sankar Mukhopadhyay looked at self-reported symptoms people had following the 2020 election, using U.S. Census Bureau surveys. He found that moderate to severe anxiety and depression could persist for two to three months after the election occurred.
“As long as the outcome is not clear, people are probably going to be still anxious about it,” Mukhopadhyay told HuffPost. He compared the stress to waiting for a medical diagnosis. Until you get back clear results, “you obviously may be anxious about what the test result is going to show,” he said.
For his study, Mukhopadhyay noted that the decline in depressive and anxious symptoms occurred after January, which lines up with the 2020 timeline of states doing post-election audits and recounts, the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Congress certifying Joe Biden as president.
“For some people, as soon as the uncertainty resolved, they start to overcome the anxiety,” Mukhopadhyay said. “But for others, it might take months.”
We all just lived through a wild election cycle, so give yourself grace to opt out of working as your best, most optimized self.
What’s a regular part of your week that you look forward to? Know that most of us are comforted by routines. “By and large, humans tend to do well when there’s predictability and there’s routines,” Neupert said. So, if you are taking the day off to recuperate, try adding something else to your routine that could be nourishing, like a favorite workout class or spending time with a loved one.
Mauss suggested connecting with family or going for a hike. “Some people might not prefer to be with other people, and that’s OK, too, but I think the core of it is: Take care of yourself in whatever way feels right,” Mauss said.
Don’t be alone if you are feeling troubled. “Reaching out to friends, family, or community members can make a big difference. Check in with those close to you and share if you’d like to talk about the results or be together in solidarity,” said licensed psychologist Lisette Sanchez. “Sometimes, simply being with others, even without discussing the topic, can help you feel grounded.”
So don’t feel bad about feeling bad right now. That actually makes you feel worse.
One 2018 study on 1,300 adults found that people who judged their bleakest and harshest emotions of resentment and disappointment ended up feeling more psychologically stressed. In other words, people who accept their negative emotions are able to cope with their stress more successfully than those who do not.
Mauss, one of the co-authors of that study, said people often try to avoid their “horrible feelings,” and she and her researchers were inspired by mindfulness, which suggests the exact opposite approach to your own emotions.
Under mindfulness, “You let them be and remind yourself that emotions themselves, they feel really nasty, but they’re not dangerous. They don’t harm us, and once we realize that and accept those emotions…something quite magical happens, which is that they, right away, feel a little bit less nasty.“
So how exactly do you practice emotional acceptance? Try picturing them as weather events you observe, Mauss suggested.
“Imagine your emotions as a stream, a river that goes by, or as clouds in the sky. Basically, you’re aware of them. You look at them, but you don’t try to change their course,” she said. “You don’t try to intervene. And that sort of helps people sometimes engage in acceptance.“
It’s important to know that emotional acceptance does not mean resignation. “You can accept your emotions without accepting a bad situation,” Mauss said. “In many ways, people actually are better able to do that, because if you’re overwhelmed and flooded with this stress, you’re not going to be very effective in your collective action.”
Mauss cited 2023 research that found that emotional acceptance helped U.S. participants feel better while allowing them to take political action, such as volunteering or protesting, in line with their values.
Why this kind of acceptance works is because it keeps you engaged in the problem ― unlike reappraisal, an emotional regulation technique where you put what happened in perspective.
Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.
Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can’t do it without you.
Can’t afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
You’ve supported HuffPost before, and we’ll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can’t do it without you.
Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.
You’ve supported HuffPost before, and we’ll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can’t do it without you.
Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
Mauss co-authored research on Hillary Clinton voters who reappraised Trump after his 2016 victory. One example of reappraisal that Mauss heard from participants was, “Oh, this is really bad, but it is going to serve as a wake-up call for the country, and so good things will happen down the line,” she said. In this way, reappraisal lets people think: “I’m done with the situation. I feel better, and I basically disengage,” Mauss explained.
Meanwhile, emotional acceptance could mean telling yourself, “Wow, I feel horrified at what is happening, and it’s OK that I feel horrified,” Mauss said. “That will help you feel a little bit better, but it also will keep you in the situation.”