Navigating election anxiety ahead of another Trump-Biden matchup

As the 2024 presidential candidates gear up to accept their parties’ nominations, not everyone is on board with another Trump–Biden matchup. As political pundits and campaigns continue to push the “this is the most important election in history” trope, voters are gaining more and more election anxiety.

“We have to recognize that we’re making a vote for the future of our country, the future of our children,” said Karen Howard, the CEO and executive director of the Organic and Natural Health Association. “You have to maintain that sense of positivity and power. And that’s challenging to do in an environment like that. We can’t lose sight of that.”

Howard spoke exclusively with the Washington Examiner about the current political scenario, its overwhelming effects on people, and how to deal with it.

A Wall Street Journal poll found only a third of the respondents were hopeful about their options between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. With Trump surviving an assassination attempt and Biden getting calls to step down as the presidential nominee amid questions about his mental and physical fitness, there has been a lot of election anxiety among voters, raising the question: Do their votes matter?

“I think at the end of the day, even with all of the angst and anxiety, your vote matters,” Howard said.

Addressing specific concerns about the candidates’ controversies, including legal problems and fitness concerns, Howard highlighted the need for voters to approach information critically. 

“How can you be an observer? How can you sit back and watch?” Howard said.

Howard is advocating a detached perspective to mitigate the physical toll of election-related stress. She refused to say the names of the candidates in interviews to diffuse the polarizing perception.

“I’ve renamed them Mary Todd and Martha Washington,” Howard said. “And then people go, ‘I don’t know who to be angry or supportive about then.’ I’m like, that’s the point. Reframing and being able to take the information without physically reacting to it is going to be really important to get through the election.”

As summer brings people together for vacations and family gatherings, Howard acknowledged the challenge of maintaining harmony when political views differ. 

“I think one of the things you have to do is sort of step back and take the words that you’re hearing and substitute them,” she said.

She recommended a practical approach: creating a mental “word wall” to reframe inflammatory language and promote constructive dialogue without personalizing disagreements.

Reflecting on the broader societal impact, Howard expressed optimism tempered with realism. 

“We’re all put on this planet for a purpose,” she said, stressing the importance of staying engaged and levelheaded in turbulent times. 

Her advocacy for maintaining a calm perspective resonated as a guiding principle for navigating the electoral noise.

In closing, she emphasized staying strong, staying positive, remembering our purpose, and acting responsibly for our older and younger generations. 

“My actions and my votes matter,” Howard said. “It’s important that we stay in the process, and it’s important we stay calm and levelheaded in the face of the chaos.”

Howard has four decades of experience in healthcare policy, government relations, and organizational leadership and is the author of Upset is Optional: Say Goodbye to Unnecessary Suffering, focusing on strategies to manage stress and anxiety.