Patient Advocacy Corner 101: 10 Tips to Navigate Election Season

By: ARIEL J. WARDEN-JARRETT, MD, FAAFP

It’s an election year. It is no secret that as a nation we seem politically divided, and more than ever before. It may surprise you that your response to “politics” can impact your health.

During the last presidential election, I noticed that some of my patients developed high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, and insomnia based on the election results. This reality further opened my eyes to the indirect and direct political influences that potentially impact the health of an individual, family, community, state, and nation.

Here are some tips to get you through a politically charged season.

  1. Make sure you exercise your right to vote. Vote for candidates and issues that best align with your values.
  2. If you find that your heart races or you get angry listening to the news, then limit the time you spend watching or listening to the news, and try not to do it before bedtime. Get your rest!
  3. At the end of the day, you can cast your single vote. Don’t lose energy worrying about things that are out of your direct control.
  4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the rise. It can be used to educate you with facts and fiction. Don’t believe everything you hear, see or read on social media. Fact-check information from trusted sources.
  5. Ask yourself if the candidate you are seeking to elect can be trusted to represent you. Will they vote for what is in the best interest of your district, county, state or nation?
  6. Develop positive coping skills to help prepare for election results, especially when they don’t go the way you hoped and/or voted.
  7. Talk with your family as well. Remind them of the core values of what it means to be an American. We are a great nation that fights for liberty and justice for ALL. We may not always agree, but our core values as Americans should shine above our differences.
  8. Hold your elected officials accountable. Make sure you know who represents you! Introduce yourself to their office and share your stories with them.
  9. Don’t get worked up about things you can’t change! However, be safe. Since the nation is politically divided, exercise caution with how and with whom you share your political views. Push yourself to grow and look at issues through multiple lenses. Enter a growth mindset zone.
  10. If you don’t like things, get involved! Become a part of the solution. Don’t let the circumstances consume you.

My 97-year-old patient shared with me that she has seen so many different presidents in her lifetime. Each has a special stamp to leave in history. Focus on the positives no matter the outcomes. After all, there will be another election….