By Student stress and anxiety levels have risen on campus stemming from the results of the 2024 presidential election, but there are ways to fight it.
The stress from election uncertainty comes right between the stress of midterms and finals for students at Long Beach State.
A first-year child development major, Karina Guevara, voted in her first election this year. She said the stress of voting was something she did not need to add to the stress she already has.
“We should be in a society where what our current president says shouldn’t be something we are just okay with and I feel like not everyone is informed and it ends up affecting us, so it’s pretty stressful,” Guevara said.
Marwa Azab, a psychology professor at CSULB, has been the chair of the “Peace of Mind” community event and has created a plan for students to de-stress after elections. She explained how stress and anxiety comes from a lack of confidence for a desired outcome in a post she published on Psychology Today.
Anxiety can be a difficult feeling to dissipate, and Azab noted COVID-19 had increased not only the longevity, but intensity of anxiety symptoms.
In her article, she explained the “moral burden” that comes from the fear of making the wrong decision. Her writing explained that students can battle those emotions with her 8 Strategies to Manage Election Anxiety.
Azab wrote that embracing your journey and using tools given to you help to navigate uncertainty.
Senior biology major, Mya Tovar, said she could not find comfort in what the election process awakened in American politics.
“I’m scared. With the way things are playing out, I’m just scared.” Tovar said.
Joshua Kim, a first-year psychology major, said the media created a stress buildup leading up to the election.
“I think my stress was mostly because there were a lot of discussions online about what would happen if either side won. It wasn’t very fun to look at,” Kim said.
Students struggling to overcome their stress and anxiety can visit Azab’s post to take charge to transform election anxiety into opportunities for self growth.
Students can also access resources for mental health on campus at the following locations:
