How to Stay Grounded and Connected During Election Season: Embracing Compassion, Curiosity, and Connection

In Case You're Feeling Overwhelmed This Election Season 😵‍💫

It's not just you. This election season is extra stressful because the narrative is dehumanizing and polarizing us based on political parties and beliefs instead of remembering that we're all people who are so much more than a political party and we all share a common desire - to be safe. 

Why We See the World Differently

Have you ever thought about this?

The only reason someone has a different political opinion than you is because their life experiences, perspective, and way of experiencing reality are different from yours.

If they saw the world the same way you do, they’d have the same opinions and beliefs.

Arguing Isn’t Helping

🚫 Trying to change someone’s beliefs by arguing isn’t going to help either of you.

You’ll both likely end up even more frustrated and divided.

The science behind this: It’s impossible to have a productive conversation if your amygdala (the survival-focused part of your brain) is running the show. If you’re in fight mode—angry, yelling, or judgmental—the other person’s nervous system will perceive you as a threat. This will likely push them into fight mode, too.

In that state, neither of you will be able to listen or think logically, because you’re now in survival mode, not in a state of openness (you need your prefrontal cortex for that).

👎🏻 If you don’t shift out of the stress response before deciding if you want to have a conversation (or to comment on social media), I guarantee both of you are just going to feel even more frustrated and shitty after. 

Avoiding the Lose-Lose Situation

How do you keep yourself from falling into this cycle? This is where the three Life Boost C’s come in:

1. Compassion
2. Curiosity
3. Connection

⭐️ Compassion

First things first, if you notice rage bubbling up inside you, pause and tune in to what you need. Every political opinion is based on a desire to feel safe, so it makes sense that an opposing opinion might feel threatening to your nervous system.

Here are some things you can do to shift out of fight mode and release that negative energy:

• Try Faster EFT to move out of stress mode. If you don’t know this technique, now is a perfect time to learn. Click here for a short video walking you through it to release stress and negative energy right now. 
• Take stock of other stressors in your life.
  • What can you do to be extra gentle and supportive towards yourself this week?
    
  • How can you prioritize basic necessities (sleep/rest, water, real food and balanced meals, fresh air/sunlight, movement) so that you have the resilience to make it through whatever happens this election?

⭐️ Ditch Judgment, Embrace Curiosity

What happens if you get curious about what you have in common with someone who holds different beliefs?
You both have a nervous system, and 99.9% of your DNA is identical, so that’s a pretty good start!

Ask yourself:

Why do they believe what they do? 

Understanding their perspective and logic gives you a broader perspective of the world so you can see a problem from a wider angle. 

If you’re not willing to try to understand their perspective, you are fighting to have a more limited perspective of this world. (It’s fine if you’re not willing to expand that perspective, but notice if you’re frustrated with someone else for resisting the same.)

What is their fear?

Their nervous system, like yours, is designed to keep them safe. If you disagree on politics, then different things make your nervous systems uncomfortable. What are their values? What life experiences led them to hold these values? Is there something tough going on in their life that could be putting them in fight mode?

And then, take a look inward:

What is your fear?

This time of year offers a chance for deep inner work. Why do you have the beliefs you do? Why does the opposite view feel threatening to you?

Are your fears based on something that could really be life-threatening, like not having control over your own body or not being able to afford food?

Or do other people's actions that don't directly impact you make you uncomfortable?  For example: someone else’s choice about abortion, who someone chooses to love, or how they live their life.

If it’s the latter, this need to control others for your own comfort might be causing frustration or exhaustion in other areas of your life, too. This awareness can be powerful, helping you to focus inward on what you can control: your own nervous system and what you need to feel safe and how to be able to cope when things out of your control stir up uncomfortable emotions.

A Divided Nation Won’t Make Us Feel Safe

As long as we stay polarized and unwilling to listen to each other, we’re going to miss out on the one thing we really want regardless of the election results: to feel safe.

A divided, defensive environment is only going to keep us feeling threatened.

⭐️ The Power of Connection

You may not be able to control the election results (aside from voting, of course! I hope you do), but you can rise above the toxic, dehumanizing political climate that the media and algorithms are pushing by embracing compassion and curiosity we can connect and work together to bridge the divide and create positive change.

🧩 Imagine solving a puzzle: If you want to connect the pieces, you have to work together.

Are you willing to see how your puzzle piece could connect with someone else’s to fit into a bigger, beautiful picture rather than just focusing on your puzzle piece?

Whatever the outcome of this election, a huge portion of the country will likely feel afraid. Things won’t magically be “all better” afterward, so let’s show kindness and compassion. This is where the real positive change begins. 💗 

When you embrace compassion, curiosity, and connection in your own life, you help to start creating a positive ripple effect in the communities around you - that's how we create the change we really desire.

For support focusing on what you need to protect your energy and sanity even when things in life are feeling out of control, my 6 month mentorship is a beautiful space where you can show up just as you are and receive guidance and support to make changes in your life that feel like a breath of fresh air while being part of a community of others motivated to create positive change in their own life and this world. Apply to work with me here.