Stressing over Election Day? Try these apps and tools to calm your nerves

A family friend burst into tears when I said “hello” to her this morning. A work colleague just told me he had to take the rest of the day off because he literally could not get anything done. Another friend said she was up all night and trying “not to throw up.” Online searches for “grounding techniques for anxiety” spiked +140% over the past 24 hours, according to Google data editor Simon Rogers.

After months of contentious build-up, we can all seem to agree that we’re really nervous about what’s in store in the days and weeks to come.

Will we see a repeat of the violence and unrest of the last presidential election? Will our country get even more divided? Will our family and friends and jobs and homes and healthcare be safe? Will we be okay?

This Election Stresses Us Out, a new poll by the American Psychological Association, shows that more than seven in 10 adults — nearly 80% — say the nation's future is “a significant source of stress in their lives.”

“This rise is likely because people see their own lives and concerns reflected in the issues on the ballot, such as women’s reproductive rights, immigration, and LGBTQIA+ rights. When people can visualize how an administration might impact their lives, it often heightens emotions,” says Jenna Glover, chief clinical officer with the mental health app Headspace.

I contacted Dr. Glover last weekend after a therapist told me to download the Headspace app, tap “Explore,” and type “politics” in the search bar at the top. It turns out Headspace has an entire collection of content called “Politics without Panic,” which features meditations on topics such as “Finding Post-Election Peace” and “Coping with Political Change.”

“This election has created a storm of emotions for many voters — whether they feel heightened frustration, anger, anxiety, stress or concern, it leads them to worry about the future instead of staying grounded in the present moment,” Dr. Glover added.

Since Saturday, I’ve listened to all 22 programs in this category. It’s been like discovering a goldmine of good feelings amid a proverbial garbage fire. The app is free to try for two weeks, then costs $70 per year.

Along with the “go outside, take a walk, go to a movie, spend time with family, and whatever you do, don’t talk politics” advice you’re likely hearing quite a bit today, here are several other tools to help you get through these uncertain times without losing your mind:

1. Cuddle a puppy via Nextdoor

Have you seen these puppy-cuddling events popping up around the country? My little hometown held one at the local animal shelter that I found out about on Nextdoor. An animal rescue brought puppies into the USA Today Washington D.C. office today. And Aloft hotels in cities like New York and Atlanta hosted “Not Watch Pawties” today.

You might not even have to leave home to cuddle an adorable pet. Spending time with your dogs, cats, guinea pigs, heck, even talking to your goldfish can help lower blood pressure, reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support and boost your mood, says the NIH.

2. Ditch the doomscrolling on social media

Remember, it’s okay to turn off and tune out. Some took the day off of work to head outside and stay far away from all things electronic. My 23-year-old daughter deleted the top social media apps from her phone for the week while my husband turned off all social media and news outlet notifications. Others are drowning distractions by hitting the mute button on every social media outlet and for all notifications on their devices' settings. Since that can take some time, others opt for apps like RescueTime, StayFocusd, Freedom, FocusMe and LeechBlock. These apps work similarly: They let you turn off distractions for a specific time or automatically create “do not disturb” notices across your devices.

More:Fighting misinformation: How to keep from falling for fake news videos

3. More mindful distractions online

Give your brain a break with feel-good videos, such as Animal Odd Couples from The Dodo, featuring the golden retriever who picks apples for his bunny friends. Explore.org’s YouTube channel is also absolutely magical. I was just watching a sloth do… well… absolutely nothing on a live camera feed from Costa Rica. The organization also has a curated channel called “Escape Election Coverage” filled with hours and hours of nature feeds showing everything from the best live camera footage of bears in Alaska to zebras, elephants, lions and tigers (oh my!) from safari cameras in Africa. You can also watch some feel-good TV. I can’t get enough of the TV series 'Shrinking' right now. The same goes for everything Snoop Dogg on this season’s 'The Voice'. If neither of those shows is binge-worthy for you, USA Today has more ideas of “silly, happy shows,” too.

4. Spot fake news on websites

The AMA poll also shows mis- and disinformation are causes for even more concern, with a “strong majority (82%) of U.S. adults worried that people are basing their values and opinions on false or inaccurate information,” the survey reports.

Avoid all the nonsense and head straight to a reputable fact-checking site, including the Associated Press AP Fact Check, FactCheck.org, Politifact, USA Today’s fact-checking pages and election fact-checking site. Other great go-to’s here include the U.S. Cybersecurity Agency’s rumor control site, web browser plug-in NewsGuard — which rates more than 4,000 news websites based on their records of publishing accurate information — and Ground News, which shows you how many top outlets have covered a story at a glance. (Spoiler: if no significant news organizations have covered it, there’s a good chance it’s false.) Videos are more complex, but in another recent report, we gave you several ways to spot fakes.

More:Hey, politicians, stop texting me: How to get the candidate messages to end

5. Talk to someone remotely

Experts recommend talking with a professional, which is easier than ever thanks to teletherapy. Online therapy sites such as BetterHealth, Doctor on Demand, Wellnite, Larkr, Real, ReGain, AbleTo and MDLive are affordable, often take insurance, and are easy to schedule appointments on. Apps HearMe, Wisdom and Lyf (iOS and Android) hook you up with a person or group of people, ready to lend a sympathetic ear and help you talk things through without waiting for an appointment. HearMe lets you chat via anonymous text with a stranger within a minute or two of logging in. Lyf is similar but enables you to connect with — and follow — hundreds of other people using the app. Wisdo hooks you with support groups and can connect you with a trained coach for one-on-one private sessions or moderated discussions with Wisdo mentors.

“Keep Calm-ala and Carry-On-Ala” If all else fails, use a go-to phrase like this one from Saturday Night Live’s pre-election cold open last weekend. It cracked me up when my BFF texted it to me last night, and I’ve passed it to everyone else I know today.

The most vital tip of all here? Just know that we’ll get through this, says Dr. Glover, “I encourage anyone experiencing strong emotions around the election to practice radical acceptance — the ability to fully acknowledge reality as it is at this moment. At the end of the day, while we can’t change the election results, but election cycles come and go, and it’s most productive to focus on what is within your control,” Dr. Glover reminds.