Managing Political Situations

A study published by the AP- NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago reported that 65 percent of adults need to limit their media consumption on the government and politics due to overload or fatigue. AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Most adults feel the need to limit political news consumption due to fatigue and information overload” (December 2024). But how can we continue to stay informed on present day issues happening in our country and abroad and connect with our family and friends about these topics as well? Below are some tips that we can utilize to manage our own emotions with politics and ways to have productive conversations with others on potentially hot button topics.

Identify your emotions– Oftentimes the underlying emotion when politics are being discussed is fear. It can be validating to identify all of your emotions and to name them accordingly. For instance, after watching something on the news that is triggering it is normal to feel overwhelmed, anxious or even hopeless. By acknowledging that these feelings exist it can be the first step to regulating them. Also, this can be beneficial to connect with other people in that you can validate their emotions and remind them that they are not alone, which can create a bridge between you and them, even if you disagree on political issues. It can be helpful to find an emotion log or emotion tracking app that can provide you with different emotions to best choose based on the situation surrounding anger and how you are feeling.

Set boundaries around media consumption– Be mindful of how often or low long that you are watching the news and be mindful of how you can be triggered or that your emotions shift from the start and end of the newscast. If you notice that your mood has changed after watching the news, listening to the radio or being on social media, it could be helpful to limit your consumption to a certain amount of time per day or week or take a brief vacation from news consumption for a few days or weeks to reset and ground
yourself.

Prioritize Respectful Communication– Political beliefs are often linked closely to our personal values so it can be challenging to manage difficult relationships where others may disagree regarding personal issues. Below are some specific ways to prioritize communication during disagreements:

• Identify if this is a safe place and person for you to discuss your innermost
  thoughts. Sometimes it is most effective to have boundaries with someone rather
  than sharing vulnerable and personal information with them. An important first
  step for each individual is to decide if they feel comfortable opening up their inner
  world to someone else. Or if not, stating clearly to someone that you do not wish
  to discuss these issues and you are more than willing to connect on other things.

• Find common ground with someone even if you disagree with them. Many people
  share similar common values even if they have opposing views on different topics.
  It can be helpful to identify shared values to connect in a situation with differing
  view points.

• Accept others’ differences and try to adapt to situations as they come. Some people
  will want to isolate themselves due to potential triggers or hot button topics that
  come up around other people. It can be helpful to act opposite and not isolate and
  trust yourself in different situations to be able to identify if you are willing to chat
  about these issues or not. Radical acceptance can be a helpful skill to use to
  radically accept someone else while focusing on the whole person. This is one
  aspect of who they are but there are still other ways to connect to them in life
  outside of politics.

If you notice that political issues are becoming a persistent problem that you are
experiencing, it could be helpful to reach out to a licensed therapist to meet with regularly
to discuss this with. To set up an appointment with a licensed therapist you can contact
our front office staff at 440-392-2222.

Stephanie Cerula, LPCC
Clinical Counselor, The Behavioral Wellness Group
8224 Mentor Ave #208 Mentor OH 44060
P: 440 392 2222 #404 F: 440 565 2349
scerula@behavioralwellnessgroup.com
www.behavioralwellnessgroup.com