This presidential election is creating too much stress

I’ll be honest, I am a little sick and tired of the election and I am waiting for it to be over.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of this year’s presidential race, it will decide the next person — Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton —who sits in the Oval Office for the next 4-8 years. But the election itself is not the problem.

What is aggravating to me is all of the mudslinging, insults and name calling that is going around, not just between the Trump and Clinton camps, but also the toxic environment created by their followers. Political campaigns have gotten heated in the past, but I can’t recall anything like this.

The political talk is almost impossible to escape. Every day there seems to be a new story about Trump’s remarks towards women or something Clinton did in her past that gets people riled up. It’s impossible to decipher the facts from fiction.

Then there are the Facebook status updates, tweets and memes that try and inject some humor into the election, but can be downright cruel to the candidates, their campaigns and people who agree or disagree with them.

It is election season and we should be talking about the presidential race and the candidates, but we should be doing it with cooler heads. Instead, conversations between friends on opposing sides escalate into arguments about who is right and who is wrong.

My personal favorites are the folks who write “I don’t care if you are a Trump/Clinton supporter and unfriend me for this” or “I blocked this many Trump/Clinton supporters. It felt really good.”

I’Il be honest — it’s stupid to cut ties with friends and families because their political beliefs don’t align with yours.

That’s one of the things I enjoy about working here at the Cheney Free Press. We have different political opinions, but we don’t let that get in the way of a productive conversation during editorial board meetings.

Seeing all of the hate between everyone almost makes me want to jump on the radio — like Mister Senor Love Daddy from Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” — and tell everyone to “Hold up! Time out! TIME OUT! Y’all take a chill!”

Apparently, I am not the only one who is stressed out during this election season.

According to an Oct. 13 news release from the American Psychological Association, 52 percent of over 3,500 that were surveyed in the United States, report that the election is “a very or somewhat significant source of stress” for them.

In the release, Dr. Lynn Bufka, the APA’s associate executive director for practice research and policy, noted that “Election stress becomes exacerbated by arguments, stories, images and video on social media that can heighten concern and frustration, particularly with thousands of comments that can range from factual to hostile or even inflammatory.”

We have enough stress to deal with in our lives — bills, work, family, school (if you are a student), sports teams — and the election just adds an unnecessary burden on our shoulders. A little stress is not bad — it can actually motivate you in some way. But too much stress is harmful to your physical and mental health.

In the same release, the APA has different suggestions to help take the stress off during the election season, which include:

● Read enough about the election and the candidates to stay informed.

● Disconnect from the Internet and take some time for yourself by spending time with family or friends.

● Avoid getting into political discussions with others if you think they will result in a conflict.

● Volunteer, advocate for an issue or do something that makes a positive difference on the issues you care about.

● Maintain a balanced perspective and don’t get caught up in any doomsday scenarios that someone might come up with. Life will go on after Nov. 8.

● Vote — not just vote, but pick the person you believe will be the best candidate for the job. Make your own decision.

That last one is important. Don’t let election stress force you into picking a candidate you don’t feel would make a good president or worse, prevent you from voting at all.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].