Following the election, N.C. mental health experts reflect on impact of political stressors

When the election was called on Nov. 6 for former President Donald Trump in the early morning, the results were met with mixed reactions — both excitement and anxiety for the next four years to come. These elevated feelings, however, did not begin on election day.

According to a study from the American Psychological Association, 69 percent of Americans said the 2024 presidential election was a significant source of stress in their lives leading up to Nov. 5. 

Tina Lepage, a psychologist and founder of Lepage Associates Psychological Services, said language and media coverage have contributed to these increased anxieties. Lepage Associates offers services in Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh. 

“I think that this election season, and maybe even the last couple, have just been more elevated almost in the way that the parties talk about politics, and kind of the gloom and doom and scariness if the other side wins,” she said.

Looking back on the last 20 years, Lepage said, these big upticks in election anxiety did not exist. She said the change came with the 2016 election as the rhetoric and decorum in debates, political advertisements and interviews shifted.

Politics can be really personal and many people are often worried how they will be impacted if a certain candidate takes office, Lepage said. Things like health services and finances, she said, can be a source of stress surrounding elections as they often have a direct affect on people’s lives.

Jennifer Walker, a licensed clinical mental health counselor based in Raleigh, has been practicing for almost 30 years. During her time, she said this election has been the only time other than the pandemic when she experienced the same stress as her patients in real time. 

Walker said her experiences with the pandemic taught her how to manage conversations and media input in her own life to help stay balanced during this election season. 

Organizations like the American Physiological Associated, Clearly Clinical and Licensed Clinical Counselors of North Carolina offered several continuing education materials for therapists to navigate the election, she said. Walker said it was also helpful to speak with her own professional network of therapists who were experiencing similar trends with their clients.

With current anticipatory anxieties about what’s to come once Trump takes office, she said she leans on models of intervention that encourage people to stay grounded in what they actually know to be true rather than what may happen. 

“On Nov. 7, if people were grieving, it was important to take time to breathe,” she said. “At some point, if they're anxious about things being anticipated, it's also important to figure out how can that happen and use the anxiety productively.”

Psychologist Neil Barry, who serves the Chapel Hill and Raleigh areas, said during election season it can often feel like the world is just happening to you. He said certain groups, such as LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color, are afraid about Trump taking office again. 

For his patients who were concerned leading up to the election, he said he suggested canvasing or donating to support their preferred candidates, helping people feel more empowered in the electoral process. 

Following the election, Barry said he worked with patients to develop strategies for managing stress and how to cope during the next four years. Lepage said post-election season can even be a respite for some, even if their side lost. 

Barry said he tells his patients not to marinate in the stress. Life is about so much more than just who is in office, he said, so it is important to keep living. 

“We can't stop awful things from happening in the world, but we can build up our strengths so that we're more resilient when it does happen," Barry said.

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