The election is really stressing out your employees. Here’s how you can help

Around 73% of Americans report feeling election anxiety. No matter where your political leanings lie, chances are if you watched last week’s debate, you felt it—the stream of news alerts flooding your phone; the fear of what might happen if the election doesn’t go your way; and the tension within your community and among colleagues, friends, and family.  

In today’s world, where home and work often overlap, the stress and tension of an election season can easily spill over into the workspace. At Mandala, we help managers and leaders in the workplace with three core questions: How do you manage yourself? How do you manage others? And how do you manage this changing ecosystem?  

Given that this election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump sits at the intersection of all three, we wanted to offer our perspective on how managers could manage election anxiety in the workplace:

Accept that it’s going to be chaotic, for good reason

Election seasons and election anxiety can be particularly stressful, with political and policy issues feeling deeply personal. Whether it’s reproductive rights, the economy, or the stability of our democracy, we’re experiencing a period of intense tumult and division right now. Rather than downplaying its significance, it’s important to recognize that we are navigating a truly complex and turbulent time.

What might that sound like? “As we head into election season, I can appreciate that this is a particularly chaotic time. And so if you’re feeling that tension and uneasiness, just know that you’re not alone. If there’s anything I can do to help provide some support, even if that means listening to what you’re experiencing, please let me know.”

Role-model emotional regulation

You might have strong feelings about the election and might not immediately see the argument that about 50% of the country is making. Just remember—whether or not they say it—your team is looking at you to be a voice of calm in the chaos.

There are many powerful ways to emotionally regulate, from physical exercise to social connection to breathing practices. Here’s a quick tool that we’ve been using with leaders at Google and Microsoft that you can practice at your desk:

BEAM:

• Breathe. Two inhales through your nose, followed by a deep exhale. This mechanism of deep breathing, popularized by Andrew Huberman as “cyclical sighing,” can help move our body from a place of “fight or flight” to “rest and digest.”
• Emotion. Write down two words that describe your emotional state. The act of emotional noting, just saying the precise word or feeling, can have a similarly calming effect.
• Affirm. Make two affirmations to yourself about how you showed up the day before. The more specific, the better. Neuroscience confirms that our bodies are more likely to move when we’re kinder to ourselves.
• Mindfulness/ Mindfully send two notes of gratitude to people in your life. This can be done silently with your eyes closed, or more literally through a text, note, or call. The act of being grateful in a deliberate way can reduce stress.

Provide clarity on resources and support where you can

If your company offers mental health benefits to employees, now is a good time to make sure they know they’re available. If you’re too small to offer much in the way of benefits, share resources that you use with your team—it could be a day or two to take time off, or a few activities that help you stay grounded.

Live within your locus of control

Most election anxiety emerges from worrying about things outside our control. It’s nearly impossible to spend all your attention on what you control, but it’s important to do your best, especially as you head into the election. If you are concerned about the election, remember there are concrete ways of getting involved outside your workplace—donating, fundraising, knocking on doors, making phone calls. These are all things within your control.

What’s not in your control? Well, everything else: what the media reports, what the candidates say, and what the media reports about what the candidates say. The data suggests our media ecosystem is bad for our mental health. It reduces our sense of empowerment and stimulates the activation of our sympathetic nervous system. Like any form of consumption, it’s important to practice moderation.

How do you do that?

First, if it matters to you, make a list of two things that you can or want to do about this election. It could be checking the news once a day to stay updated but avoiding the headlines; it could be giving your team time off on the day of the election to vote.

Second, create a time limit for media consumption during this election cycle. It can feel arbitrary to say something like, “I’m only going to watch the news for 10 minutes,” but trust us—there’s zero marginal value from that next podcast.

Stay curious, not judgmental

At a time when our two sides feel as though they couldn’t be further apart, this might feel nearly impossible to do. But in today’s time, the unifying candidate is you. Remember that more than 70 million Americans voted for a candidate you didn’t agree with. They are people you grew up with, get meals with, or in many cases, share lives and workspaces with. For our democracy to survive, we need to maintain a tone of empathy when talking about politics—not different from Coach Ted Lasso.

Notably, most political and news media will not be striking this tone. While that’s not something you can control, for your part you can recognize that there is dignity in each human being and that they may have myriad reasons for supporting who they support—most of which have to do with the complex way in which they see themselves and have experienced the world, rather than any policy-based talking point.

What might that look like?

“I want to do my best to keep the workplace a place that’s civil and has discourse that assumes the best in those who disagree with us. I recognize this may not be what we hear in the news or on stage. I have my views, and I’m happy to share them in case people are curious, but I’ll do my best to be a listener in this space.”