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Feeling Scared About Your Options? How to Stay Calm for the Next Upcoming Elections

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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

It’s official, the same two guys who were the candidates in 2020 will be the presidential candidates in 2024. *Sigh* Great…. Whether you support either candidate, I know you are probably disappointed that not much has seemed to change politically in the last four years. Our world has gone through a pandemic, crazy inflation, and many changes in daily life. If you would’ve told me at any point during these four years that the same 2020 candiates would be the 2024 candidates I would’ve been like “no way, there has to be a change.”

So, I would love to talk now about how to stay calm during scary times. The first thing I would want to note is that I don’t believe in ignorance is bliss. If it is important for your mental health to ignore these troubling matters, then take care of yourself. However, voting is super important to our country. I may be biased as a little poli-sci student, but there’s nothing better you can do for society than letting your voice be heard. I don’t care who you vote for, just show up and get your opinions out there. If you are not registered already, you can go to vote.org or Google how to register in your state! Also, if you don’t know what’s on your ballot, check out Ballotpedia.org! They have a bunch of information of what will be on your ballot. Now, let’s remember how to stay calm in the midst of this political uncertainty.

Paying attention to the news is important. However, too much can cause much stress. As a girl recovering from a little Twitter addiction (lol), I always wanted to know what was going on. Whenever I deleted a social media app, I felt like I disconnected from everyone, and the world was turning without me. I hated being out of the loop and not being able to talk about current events with people. However, the reason why I had to delete social media in the first place was because of the anxiety! The news and social media tend to really heighten the stakes of an election. They do so much to a point where it feels suffocating to listen to another word about politics. So, for 2024 feel free to take a break from the news. Time to yourself can help you understand what you want and help you form better decisions when you are in the ballot box!

Speaking of time to yourself, you should also pay attention to your mindset when going into this election. You can only control so much in your daily life. You may feel at a loss of control if things don’t go how you planned. Understand your impact is still an impact. Don’t feel discouraged from not voting. Channeling your emotions into voting, or volunteering will help you go into a more positive mindset. When you understand what you can control, you are more likely to be motivated to act. When you act positively, you will feel better about the world around you.

I hope you all can go into this next election feeling relaxed. It may not be the perfect scenario. But, if you vote, you can make a difference in your community and help us all get through this time together.

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Sophia Hutcheson

U Mass Amherst '26

Sophia is a political science major and IT minor at UMass Amherst. This is her third semester at HerCampus, and first semester as an editor! She's loved her time writing about her college life. In her free time, Sophia loves practicing guitar, reading, and playing with her dog, Daisy.