Time to relieve the political stress

Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

The debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump made one thing very clear. The next six weeks are going to be an unsettling time for many Americans, especially for those living in swing states who are going to be barraged with endless negative ads from the Democrats and Republicans running for Congress and the White House.

While so many of us say we dislike negative ads, they must be effective because the politicians continue to use them. Thus, the suffocating partisanship that most of us abhor will be in full display for the remainder of the campaign season as many of the politicians play on our emotions.

We are already witnessing the accusations and innuendos, the misinformation and vilifying of one candidate by the other as both the left and the right employ tactics and game plans detrimental to democracy.

As you approach this election season, try to see through the charade. Attempt to understand the tactics of debate and expect more this time not only from the candidates but from your friends — and most importantly, perhaps, from yourself. Listen carefully for exaggeration and guilt by association. And don’t confuse correlation with causation. (Two things may be related, but not necessarily in a cause-and-effect way.)

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Watch, listen, ponder and decide for yourself what you can do to

correct the course of a political process that has become a war of opposing clans that value defeating the opposition over working constructively on behalf of all citizens.

Our national challenges and problems are earnest, urgent and serious. They are worthy of being debated in a manner consistent with our great history and heritage. If we choose to focus on the issues and how challenges can best be solved as we sift through the barrage of exaggeration, innuendo and half-truths pressing into the political fray, we just might find a way to come closer to the truth individually — and with each other.

And choose the candidate who most aligns with these positive traits.

But perhaps most importantly be aware of how the constant barrage is impacting you. Awareness of your stress can actually be beneficial. “Stress isn’t always harmful,” says Kelly McGonigal, a business school lecturer at Stanford and program developer for the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. “Once you appreciate that going through stress makes you better at it, it can be easier to face each new challenge.”

In these divided times there is an increased stress particularly by those who experience religious, racial and cultural bigotry. Lisa Fortuna, vice chair at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and chair of the psychiatry and neuroscience department at the University of California, Riverside, has provided some tips for coping with political stress and from stress from racial bigotry:

• Talk about your feelings. Stay informed, but limit your own and your children's exposure to news media and viral videos.
• Connect with friends who can engage in racially conscious conversations, and who are supportive and willing to help you process your thoughts and emotions.
• Know your triggers (people and places). Strategize to avoid them.
• Practice self-care in the way you know best. You really need it now.
• Remember that racism is a huge problem that cannot be solved by a single person's efforts alone.
• Know that we are the legacy of many people who have come before us and fought for justice. You are not alone.
• Engage in activism, as you feel comfortable. Feeling empowered involves participating in actions to solve difficulties.

For many, just getting away from it all can help. In this time of high anxiety my way of dealing with stress is through the release that music offers. I’d like to share with you this wonderful version of “We are the World," sung by students learning from Clarksville Elementary School music teacher Emmy Bodner and recorded in 2021.

See if these children relieve your political stress and make you feel more optimistic and positive about yourself, your community and your nation.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Next, go out and vote for the leaders you think will best represent the hopes and aspirations you have for a better America.