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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
October 29, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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October 29, 2020
 
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-1ve Lay be ife is i i i 331. i i ong iteers com. Is election stress real? 68%. say it is a source of distress By Jason Howland Mayo Clinic News Network Heading into a contentious national election with an ongoing pandemic and racial unrest, many people are ex- periencing tension and stress. More than two-thirds, approxi- mately 68%, of American adults say the 2020 US. presidential election is a significant source of stress in their lives, according to a recent survey by the American Psychological Associa- tion. In comparison, only 52% said the same before the 2016 election. The pro- portion of Black adults reporting the election as a source of stress jumped from 46% in 2016 to 71% in 2020.. It affects people on both sides of the political aisle, with 76% of Demo— crats, 67% of Republicans and 64% of independents saying the election is a source of significant stress. Election stress disorder isn’t a sci- entific diagnosis, but the concept is real, according to Dr. Robert Bright, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist. It’s an ex- perience of overwhelming anxiety that can manifest in a number of ways. “We notice it in our bodies, the ten- sion in our shoulders. Sometimes peo- ple get GI (gastrointestinal) upset or headaches. People have trouble sleep- ing. There’s a lot of sleep disturbance going on right now — tossing, turning and worrying, and not being able to get to sleep —— or having bad dreams about the election,” Bright said. “(There is) a lot of fearfulness (and) a number of mixed emotions — people with fear and hypervigilance and constantly search- ing the news and being on whatever social media outlet you have, and get- ting these messages. I was watching ' Wanderaey commercial has this cataStrOphic mes- sage, ‘If you vote for this guy or that guy, horrific, catastrophic things are going to happen.’ And that constant message creates a sense of anxiety and. fear. it affects our emotions after a while. So we start getting irritable and short, and snapping at people, not trusting people, seeing people as the other or as the same. And that starts affecting our relationships at home. It starts affecting our work.” He says a majdr cause of election stress is-‘the feeling of being out of con- trol. . “We’ve got to figure out how can we control what is controllable. What is Traflic: Be patient driving continued from page A—6 acceptthat. I I had a favorite saying while teach- ing traffic safety, “Be patient while driving so you will not become one.” I still maintain that today. Don’t swear with your horn. Let’s take a moment to talk about slow speeds. Do you speed on 25 mph posted limits? Be honest. How would you feel if you hit an animal, or worse, a child waiting for a school bus? How, would you handle a lawsuit against you? How would you handle the guilt for the rest of your life? ' _Years ago I met a professional race car drisIer and had an opportunity to ride in a Shelby Cobra. This automo- bile is designed for high-speed, racing. Your family car is not. Yes, it was a - thrill going down the rack at 136 mph. We"coi’ildhaVegone{animators-didn’t; - have the room. At thatspeed when I' lookedoutside my window, things were a blur. , Remember the formula: You figure Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page A—7 Re-Elect MacEwen State House Republican 35th District Position 2 Representative Drew MacEwen has broad bipartisan support from business and labor, public and private unions, and thousands of individuals [IKE YOU! Robert Bright, Mayo Clinic psychiatrist within our control? What can we do? One thing we can do with this election is we can vote,” Bright said. “We can take personal control, and our voice is just as loud as anybody else’s voice. And that’s the wonderful thing about living in a democracy. We each have an equal stake.” He says it’s normal to Worry, but when the stress begins to impair or negatively affect your life, it could be- come anxiety or depression. “If it’s causing meairmenttif ...i.,t7s .. causing clinical depressiOn sad- ness, and tearfulneSs, and certainly feelings of hopelessness or helpless- ness that evolve into actual feelings of despair or even suicidal thoughts, certainly, at that point, it’s time to seek out professional help,” Bright said. “And seeking out help could be a professional therapist or a psychia— trist to treat what’s become a clinical depression at that point. It could be just reaching out to friends and social network, or forming a little connection of people you’re texting back and forth — or talking on the phone or connect- ing. Just staying connected is so’imi portant.” VOTE T0 RE-ELECT DREW MACEWEN' O ’ PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT DREW MACEWEN . PO BOX 6510 UNION, WA 98592 wral Washingtonians n it out. The raceldriver told me that he always remembered when he was driving the family car, that he wasn’t on the race track. You are responsible for others in your vehicle when you are the driver. How do you take evasive action? Maybe this will help. Keep both hands high on the steering wheel so if you have to swerve you will have enough elbow room. Sometimes you may have to speed up to avoid a problem. Braking is dangerous at high speeds unless you pump the brake pedal. You need to know what to do, and not panic. I’m not trying to preach a sermon here to drivers, but to just use good sense. I care, and I hope you do too. Driving remains with you most of your life, so please use it Wisely. Oh, yes, and walk defensively too. ;.Thanks and safe' driving. r v- j: _. I Tom Aaron is a retired traffic safety education teacher. He lives in Shelton.