In today’s world, the constant cycle of political news and social issues can leave many of us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and powerless. It’s hard to get away from the 24/7 news stories, political marketing and all the conversations going on in our communities. It’s easy to get caught up in the anxiety that political tensions can bring and I’ve noticed a lot of folks wanting to know how they can survive in a time where they feel their own basic needs are under fire.
Why Does Political Anxiety Happen? Political anxiety isn’t just about disagreement between candidates and communities. It's about uncertainty. Policies can shape our livelihoods, healthcare, communities, and safety. When so much feels at stake, especially for historically oppressed populations, political issues become about survival, creating layers of stress that go beyond the daily news cycle.
The Weight of Injustice As a practice rooted in social justice, we acknowledge that political anxiety is often connected to the feeling that the systems around us aren’t serving us fairly. For many, the anxiety comes not just from disagreement, but from the very real consequences of policies on housing, healthcare, education, or human rights. The feeling of helplessness in the face of systemic issues is terrifying. How are we supposed to continue on when it feels like the election decides our fate as humans? How do we sit here and just wait to see if our lives will be uprooted?
I know that many of the traditional ways we are told to manage political anxiety aren’t helpful for a large group of folks because it often is an appropriate response to real danger. We are often told that we as individuals need to change something, but dealing with daily threats to existence requires a collective response.
Strategies for Managing Political Anxiety
Collective vs individual regulation We often treat nervous system regulation as an individual responsibility when the threat itself is collective.
Sit with other people who understand what is happening without requiring you to explain or minimize it.
Organize shared meals, childcare, transportation, or resource exchanges.
Create regular gatherings where people can express anger, grief, and fear without immediately being redirected toward positivity.
Reach out to people who are more isolated or vulnerable.
Sometimes the most regulating experience is realizing someone will show up for you, and you can show up for them.
Build small systems of Resistance Not everyone can protest, donate, organize, or engage in high-visibility activism. For some that can put them in real danger. Resistance can take many forms and we often forget some of the less visible ways to resist.
Share skills and resources outside traditional institutions.
Support mutual aid networks.
Help someone get groceries for their family.
Help someone understand their rights
Create alternative spaces for care, connection, and expression.
Turn hypervigilance into preparedness Anxiety can make us feel like we need to anticipate every possible threat. We don’t want to stop your body from recognizing threat, AND there are ways to utilize that anxiety to continue protecting ourselves.
Develop an emergency plan with trusted people.
Know your rights and identify local legal resources.
Create a communication plan if someone is detained or becomes unreachable.
Identify who you could call for transportation, childcare, housing, or other urgent needs.
Build a small network where people know what support they can offer each other.
Make room for pleasure as an act of resistance.
Celebrate queer joy loudly.
Make art that has absolutely no productive purpose.
Have sex, flirt, dance, laugh, play, or dress in ways that affirm your identity, where safe.
Gather with people you love simply because you want to.
Preserve traditions, culture, and expressions of identity that systems are attempting to suppress.
Pleasure doesn't mean the threat has disappeared. It means the threat doesn't get to dictate every moment of your existence.
Political anxiety may not be asking you to calm down
It might be asking you to connect, prepare, grieve, organize, protect yourself, or find moments of joy.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the current political climate, know that you’re not alone. I know therapy alone does not fix the state of the world, but we can help navigate a balance that feels right for you, or just be someone to talk to. Everything is fully confidential and we don’t put anything in your medical record without discussing it with you first!
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. We have locations in Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Downtown Minneapolis and all of our therapists also provide virtual sessions too!
About the Author-
Bee Thomas, MSW, LICSW is a therapist and a Board Approved Supervisor for pre-licensed individuals. Bee specializes in Trauma, the LGBTQIA+ community and exploring our own identities. Bee loves to add some humor to the therapy room and use real lived experiences to help folks in their own process of navigating whatever life throws at them.
