Using Meditation to Handle the Stress of Election Season

Election season is a time when stress levels can easily spike. The constant news cycle, intense debates, and pressure to stay informed can leave you feeling emotionally drained. To counteract this, meditation offers a proven way to manage anxiety and stay grounded amid the noise.

But how do you fit meditation into your busy life, especially during such an intense time? That’s where mini-meditations come in.

Why Meditation Helps During Election Season

Election stress can stir a wide range of emotions—fear, frustration, uncertainty—often fueled by the bombardment of information from social media and news outlets. Meditation helps by calming your nervous system and building emotional resilience, so you can handle the ups and downs more gracefully.

By using simple meditations, you can:

• Regain focus: Meditation clears mental clutter, helping you process information with more clarity.
• Reduce reactivity: Instead of reacting to every bit of news, meditation teaches you to pause and respond mindfully.
• Find emotional balance: You can witness your emotions without becoming overwhelmed, keeping stress in check.

Try Mini Meditations for Election Stress Relief

To help you stay grounded, I’ve created a nine-track meditation album with short, targeted practices that can easily fit into your day. Each meditation is just 5-10 minutes long, making it simple to slip a moment of calm into your routine, even during the busiest of days. Here’s a look at what’s included:

1. Grounding Meditation: Feel anchored in the present, reducing stress by connecting with the stability of the earth beneath you.
2. Awakening Our Senses: Tune into the richness of the present moment by engaging your senses, pulling you out of the spiral of worry.
3. Pendulation: Move between calm and tension, helping your nervous system regulate and reducing overwhelm.
4. Enhancing Joy: Focus on positive emotions, which can be especially grounding during a stressful time like election season.
5. Exploring Parts: Discover and work with the different parts of yourself that might be triggered by election-related stress.
6. Building Qualities: Strengthen the qualities you need to face challenges with resilience, such as patience or compassion.
7. R.A.I.N. (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture): A practice to help you mindfully process difficult emotions and release tension.
8. Loving-Kindness Meditation: Cultivate compassion for yourself and others, even those with differing political views, promoting empathy during intense times.
9. Body Scan Meditation: Reduce physical tension and stress by systematically bringing attention to each part of your body.

These meditations can be a lifeline during election season, offering quick relief that keeps you grounded in the present, rather than swept up in the emotions of the moment.

How to Use These Mini Meditations

Incorporating these meditations into your day doesn’t require a major time commitment. Here are some ideas:

• Start your morning with grounding: Before checking the news or scrolling through social media, try a grounding meditation to start the day from a place of calm.
• Midday reset: If you feel anxiety creeping in, take 5 minutes to do a quick body scan or pendulation meditation. It can help reset your nervous system and release tension.
• Evening wind-down: Before bed, try a loving-kindness or body scan meditation to release any leftover stress from the day and ensure a restful sleep.

Election Season Self-Care

In addition to meditating, consider setting limits on how much election content you consume. It’s okay to take breaks from the news or social media, focusing instead on activities that bring you joy and peace. You can also use your planner to reflect on what matters most to you in the bigger picture, using tools like My Bliss Book Planner to track your goals and maintain balance during this hectic time.

Meditation, especially with my curated album of mini-meditations, can provide the mental and emotional break you need. By regularly practicing these short meditations, you’ll find more calm, clarity, and resilience as you navigate the ups and downs of election season.

The Mini Meditation Album is free. If you find it helpful please consider a donation via Lara-Land-1 on Venmo.