NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — As Americans are still wondering who our next commander in chief will be, mental health professionals are saying the uncertainty is taking its toll on our mental health.
2020 has been a year unlike any other with a global pandemic, social unrest, and more.
According to the American Psychological Association, more than two-thirds of adults in the United States say the election is a significant source of stress in their lives.
“Our whole way of life has abruptly been changed. 2020 has been an incredibly stressful year for every single solitary person on the planet,” said Abby Morgan, licensed clinical social worker and owner of Sea Level Counseling and Wellness in Norfolk.
She says she’s seeing a lot of people coming in for help, affected by everything that’s happened in 2020, and now the uncertainty of the presidential election.
“I think because of the course of the way things are going this week, it’s like we still don’t have a result, we still don’t have a final answer and like with COVID, we don’t know when that answer is going to come,” Morgan said.
Morgan says it’s not just an uncertain presidential election, it’s been an uncertain year.
“Just needing to know something and not really knowing when that answer is going to happen is just continuing to keep stress levels higher, which keeps anxiety higher, which makes depression happen more, which overflows into every other area of our lives,” said Morgan.
She encourages people to give themselves grace, lean on their family and friends for support, exercise, and trust that there will be a resolution, eventually.
“Who’s going to win the election at this point is not in our control anymore, you know, so we’ve done what we needed to do and now we really just need to continue to take care of ourselves,” Morgan said.
Morgan says sticking to a normal routine as much as possible is ideal.