How to care for YOU this election season.

“Setting boundaries” is a trendy phrase, but how do we limit our social media to help our mental health? Social media is often at our fingertips, so it can be easy to get caught in a doom scroll.

Try This:

• Set specific times in your day to check social media. If you find yourself feeling hopeless or overwhelmed, it may be a sign your brain needs a break. During that time, do activities that lift your spirits – go for a walk, stretch or talk to a friend.
• Change your algorithm. Social media feeds tend to show us similar content to what we've seen before. If we are using social media for news, we will likely see more political content in our feeds. Look for positive, funny and hopeful posts to balance things out.

We can get news any time, any place and anywhere, but this constant intake can take a toll on us.

Try This:

• Choose reliable news sources and avoid ones that focus mostly on conflict and negativity.
• Read news instead of watching it. Images and videos are designed to activate our stress response, but reading gives us more control to take breaks and process information at our own pace.
• Set specific times of the day to check the news instead of watching it all the time.

It’s easy to find ourselves in information overload and unsure of what we can do to make a difference. This can leave us feeling helpless.

Try This:

• Be kind to ourselves. It is completely normal to feel strong emotions, and it’s okay to take a break from political conversations or content. We love this short self-compassion practice by Dr. Kristen Neff.
• Focus on what we can control. There are a lot of events in life we can’t change, and that can be hard on our minds. By taking action where we can, like planning to vote or volunteering for a cause we believe in, we can feel more empowered and hopeful.

When we take care of ourselves, we have more energy to care about what is happening in the world around us. Think about what has helped you manage stress in the past or try a new activity.

Try This:

• Schedule time for self-care. Think of a time when you felt really good. What habits or routines were you following that helped you feel that way? We don’t have to make big changes all at once, we can start with one small step today.
• Practice a skill. Mindfulness, exercise and self-reflection have been shown to improve our mental health.
• Seek support when it feels like too much. Who do we turn to for encouragement? These are the people we can lean on when we are overwhelmed. If stress is ongoing, intense or affecting our daily life, it might be helpful to talk to a professional. We can reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling, texting or chatting 24/7 to speak with a mental health professional.