197. Navigating Political Anxiety: Mindfulness, Tribalism, and Emotional Triggers Before Election Day. Part 1 of 2.

[00:00:06] Welcome to Episode 197, which is a Girl, Take the Lead soundbite, which is a shorter episode that may be a bit more about a topic we've covered like our episode today or quick inspiration. And I'm your host, Yolanda Canny.

[00:00:22] In many of our past episodes, we've covered aspects of emotions that can come up when we're stressed. Plus this month, we've been looking into topics about conflict.

[00:00:35] So today's episode goes into both these areas by looking at political anxiety.

[00:00:42] Many of us may be experiencing this around the upcoming presidential election.

[00:00:49] No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, we all seem to be experiencing the same sensations of fear resulting from the polarization we're feeling.

[00:01:03] I thought it might be helpful to take a deeper look at this by exploring the what and the why and when it comes to feeling this way, particularly as election day approaches.

[00:01:19] This will be a two-part series. This is the episode covering the pre-election, and there'll be another that will cover post-election.

[00:01:29] Of course, we'll cover what I hope will be helpful learning from some key experts like Rick Hansen, PhD, a neuropsychologist, and New York Times best-selling author.

[00:01:43] His books include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, Just One Thing, Mother Nature, and Resilient, How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness.

[00:01:59] He'll help us learn more about mindfulness and emotional regulation.

[00:02:05] And we'll get help from Amy Chua, author of The Political Tribes, Group Instinct, and The Fate of Nations.

[00:02:13] She is the John M. Duff, Jr. Professor at Yale Law School and noted expert in the fields of ethnic conflicts and globalization.

[00:02:26] She'll help us learn about tribalism and identity politics.

[00:02:31] The other notable author we'll look at is Drew Weston, author of The Political Brain, The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.

[00:02:44] He is a clinical personality and political psychologist and neuroscientist and professor in the departments of psychology and psychiatry at Emory University.

[00:02:58] President Bill Clinton said this about this book.

[00:03:02] This is the most interesting, informative book on politics I've read in many years and should be read and studied by anyone who wants to understand modern American politics.

[00:03:16] Weston will help us see how emotions, particularly fear and anger, influence politics.

[00:03:24] Enjoy the listen.

[00:03:26] And here you go.

[00:03:27] And remember to vote.

[00:03:30] So I first heard the term political anxiety just recently, and it's defined as the stress, worry, and fear individuals experience due to political events, news, or current affairs.

[00:03:44] Stress?

[00:03:46] Could that be resulting from some key issues we're all dealing with, like abortion, immigration, climate disaster, inflation, housing, democracy?

[00:03:57] There's no downplaying the fact that the stakes are high in this year's presidential election, and we've been hearing a lot about that.

[00:04:06] And if you're like many Americans, knowing that probably has you feeling more than a little anxious.

[00:04:12] According to a new Forbes health survey, more than 60% of respondents said their mental health has either been slightly, moderately, or significantly negatively impacted by the upcoming election.

[00:04:28] Nearly half reported feelings of anxiety.

[00:04:32] An annual poll from the American Psychiatric Association found a similar trend.

[00:04:38] 43% of surveyed adults said that they feel more anxious than they did the year before, an increase about 37% in 2023.

[00:04:49] An overwhelming 73% of those surveyed said the 2024 election makes them anxious, while 70% said they feel anxious about current events in general.

[00:05:03] So, Rick Hansen talks about the year before, an increase in general.

[00:05:08] Rick Hansen talks about the concept of paper tiger paranoia, where the brain overreacts to perceived threats.

[00:05:15] Because of paper tiger paranoia, threats often look larger than they really are, while resources look smaller than they really are.

[00:05:26] So where does this come from?

[00:05:29] Our ancestors.

[00:05:31] They had two types of errors in judgment.

[00:05:34] Imagining a tiger in the bushes when there wasn't one, leading to unnecessary anxiety, and then failing to notice an actual tiger, which was far more dangerous.

[00:05:48] We're wired to make the first mistake repeatedly to avoid the second, even once.

[00:05:55] Fear in this sense can be an ally keeping us safe.

[00:05:59] However, often the fears we face are much smaller than we perceived.

[00:06:05] They are, quote, paper tigers.

[00:06:09] These are false threats, appearing more daunting than they truly are.

[00:06:14] When we're in a safe environment with the supportive people, we learn to confront these paper tigers, gaining the confidence to face our anxieties head on.

[00:06:27] Rick Hansen has a terrific webpage about this, which I've noted in the show notes.

[00:06:32] He states that it's completely natural to feel frustrated, anxious, afraid, or overwhelmed by political events and conflicts.

[00:06:42] These are complex issues that can have real impacts on our lives and communities.

[00:06:49] The good news is that by acknowledging our fears and anxiety while taking purposeful action, we can navigate political turmoil with greater calm and effectiveness.

[00:07:00] Though challenges remain, we have the power to shape our response and contribute to positive change.

[00:07:10] He talks about virtuous conduct, which has five elements that I think are good to review here.

[00:07:17] First, he says, it is not about following a set of rules handed down on hive that would seem to be a sin to violate.

[00:07:28] It is about observing pragmatically the results of our actions.

[00:07:35] Virtuous conduct is about nudging ourselves away from what hurts and toward what helps.

[00:07:43] It is not about the shoulds of others, but about our own deep sense of integrity and inner goodness.

[00:07:54] Second, we do this both for the sake of others and for the sake of ourselves.

[00:08:01] Our virtuous conduct has obvious benefits for others, and that's good.

[00:08:07] Meanwhile, it has tremendous benefits for us personally, including reducing conflicts with others,

[00:08:16] strengthening our general capacity to regulate and guide ourselves.

[00:08:20] Third, focus on the present, not the past.

[00:08:27] And fourth, it is good to enjoy and appreciate where we are in this moment.

[00:08:36] Last, our virtuous conduct must be connected to and supported by two other things,

[00:08:44] training the mind and cultivating wisdom.

[00:08:48] I think the concept of virtuous conduct is really powerful because it makes each of us responsible for our actions.

[00:08:58] While we cannot control the actions of others, we can look at ourselves.

[00:09:03] And that's where mindfulness and our meditation practices come in.

[00:09:09] He has a great meditation, which I'll link to in the show notes again, that you may want to check out.

[00:09:15] I'll go more into this in our next episode about recovering from the election.

[00:09:24] Amy Chua's Political Tribes book helps us explain how identity politics and tribalism have worsened political anxiety by creating rigid in-groups and out-groups dynamics.

[00:09:40] She states that we, as humans are tribal.

[00:09:45] We need to belong to groups.

[00:09:48] This tribal instinct is not just an instinct to belong.

[00:09:53] It is also an instinct to exclude.

[00:09:56] And we are blind to that power of political politics.

[00:10:02] And it's that blindness that seized both the American left and right in what she says in an especially dangerous, racially inflicted way.

[00:10:16] She goes on to say that in America today, every group feels threatened.

[00:10:23] Whites and blacks, Latinos and Asians, men and women, liberals and conservatives, and so on.

[00:10:33] Every group feels persecuted and discriminated against.

[00:10:37] On the left, this has given rise to increasingly radical and exclusionary rhetoric of privilege and cultural appropriation.

[00:10:47] On the right, it has fueled a disturbing rise in xenophobia and white nationalism.

[00:10:54] When groups feel threatened, they retreat into tribalism.

[00:11:00] They close ranks and become more insular, more defensive, more punitive, and more us versus them.

[00:11:11] In her epilogue, Chua says, despite everything, she senses a shift in America.

[00:11:19] And it could be congenital optimism on her part.

[00:11:24] I think I have that too.

[00:11:27] She sees something new happening.

[00:11:31] She sees what I see.

[00:11:33] A way of connecting with each other, like in Utica, New York, where Muslims and Christians made it a point to watch the Super Bowl together and want to put human beings first.

[00:11:49] I was sharing with a friend recently how fearful I was about the election.

[00:11:53] And I could see replays in my mind of the violence we saw in the 1960s where people took their disappointment to the streets or even to the Capitol building on January 6th.

[00:12:06] That's my fear.

[00:12:07] And she said the solution is to act local.

[00:12:11] And perhaps Utica is an example of this.

[00:12:17] Local action being taken.

[00:12:19] And the beauty in people we see during a disaster.

[00:12:24] We don't ask political affiliations.

[00:12:27] We just jump in and help.

[00:12:28] We foster empathy and recognize common humanity, even across political divides, to mitigate tribal fear.

[00:12:40] Drew Weston's research from his book, The Political Brain, helps us see how fear and anger can cloud rational political judgment and deepen polarization.

[00:12:50] And how political campaigns often exploit emotions, increasing anxiety.

[00:12:58] And as a recovering corporate marketer, I can see myself being pulled into the emotions ads and conventions are designed to trigger.

[00:13:08] I was filled with hope and mood, like many Democrats during the DNC.

[00:13:14] I could see my own longing for something different.

[00:13:19] And boy, did I get teary-eyed with the Obamas.

[00:13:22] But my rational side of me said, wow, what an amazing production.

[00:13:29] Like any good entertainment, I was left moved.

[00:13:34] Dr. Weston reminds us that political persuasion is about network and narratives.

[00:13:40] It is the job of the candidate to get people to feel their issues are heard and evoke an emotional response.

[00:13:51] Kind of like I felt after the DNC.

[00:13:55] He states that emotions not only provide much of the fuel that fires our engines,

[00:14:01] they also provide most of the brake fluid.

[00:14:06] He also states that successful campaigns compete in a marketplace of emotions,

[00:14:13] not in a marketplace of ideas.

[00:14:16] And the best way to elicit enthusiasm in the marketplace of emotions is to tell the truth.

[00:14:23] There is nothing more compelling in politics, he says, than a candidate who is genuine.

[00:14:30] It's the positive emotions that rally voters to the polls and convince the uncommitted

[00:14:37] that they have someone and something to be excited about.

[00:14:41] The most successful politicians know how to elicit a range of positive feelings like enthusiasm,

[00:14:51] excitement, hope, inspiration, compassion, satisfaction, pride, and even event sanctity.

[00:15:03] So how negative is this 2024 campaign?

[00:15:08] Here's a snapshot as of October 10th, 2024 by the Pew Research Center.

[00:15:16] Voters continue to describe the presidential campaign so far in mostly negative terms.

[00:15:24] 71% say that the campaign is too negative.

[00:15:28] Only 27% say it is not too negative.

[00:15:33] 62% say the campaign is not focused on important policy debates,

[00:15:38] while 37% say it is.

[00:15:43] Just 19% say that the campaign makes them feel proud of the country,

[00:15:48] while 79% say it does not make them feel proud.

[00:15:55] 68% of voters say the campaign is interesting,

[00:15:59] while 30% say it is dull.

[00:16:03] 68% say it is dull.

[00:16:04] Perhaps this could help explain why the election is in such a dead heat.

[00:16:10] I guess we'll see how it all plays out very soon.

[00:16:14] But remember, we are all in this together.

[00:16:18] Let's all hold hands collectively.

[00:16:21] Stay present.

[00:16:22] See the election as an unfolding of things for all of us to learn.

[00:16:29] Try to stay engaged, but from a place of mindfulness, empathy, and connection,

[00:16:36] rather than fear or anger.

[00:16:40] I'd like to end today's episode with a little inspiration from Wendell Berry,

[00:16:44] called The Peace of Wild Things.

[00:16:47] When despair for the world grows in me,

[00:16:52] and I wake in the night at the least sound,

[00:16:56] in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be.

[00:17:02] I go and lie down where the wood drake rests,

[00:17:07] in his beauty on the water,

[00:17:09] and the great heron feeds.

[00:17:13] I come into the peace of wild things,

[00:17:17] who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.

[00:17:21] I come into the presence of still water,

[00:17:27] and I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light.

[00:17:35] For a time, I rest in the grace of the world and am free.

[00:17:51] Thank you for listening today.

[00:17:53] We sure hope you enjoyed this episode.

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[00:18:42] Here are three takeaways from our episode.

[00:18:45] One, political anxiety,

[00:18:49] driven by high stakes issues like abortion and climate change,

[00:18:53] is often intensified by our brain's tendency to overestimate threats,

[00:19:00] known as paper tiger paranoia.

[00:19:03] Mindfulness can help manage these fears by grounding us in reality

[00:19:09] and reducing the sense of being overwhelmed.

[00:19:13] Two, tribalism, as described by Amy Jua,

[00:19:18] worsens political anxiety by creating a us versus them mentality.

[00:19:26] While polarization grows,

[00:19:28] she remains optimistic that local,

[00:19:31] community-driven efforts can bridge divides and foster empathy.

[00:19:37] Three,

[00:19:39] emotions and politics play a major role in voter decision-making,

[00:19:45] with campaigns often exploiting fear and anger.

[00:19:50] Drew Weston highlights that positive emotions

[00:19:54] can inspire greater political engagement

[00:19:57] and help alleviate political anxiety.

[00:20:00] Our next episode will continue to explore political anxiety

[00:20:07] and talk about healing and rebuilding

[00:20:09] and managing political stress after the election.

[00:20:15] So please join us again

[00:20:17] and talk to you soon.

[00:20:19] Bye.