Harris, Trump rivalry makes Americans wait, wonder, cope with high-stress vote

RESTON: Some dozen people lay with eyes closed in a Virginia yoga studio as a gong sounded. They were seeking a little peace ahead of Tuesday's high-stress election like many in America.

Election contenders Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have placed maximum pressure on voters, urging them to protect the nation from cataclysmic doom as part of a political fight that has been going on for years.

The battle has left many Americans exhausted, riled up or at the very least wanting it all to be over.

"It feels out of my control. It's like this base level of stress," said Cheryl Stevens, 55, after the yoga and meditation session in Reston, Virginia on Saturday that organisers billed as a way to address election stress.

"What if we have to do this all over again?" she asked, referring to the possibility of Trump again leading the United States.

Stevens, a Harris supporter, said the stress has led to her getting just four hours' sleep some nights and has left her in a state of hyper vigilance.

Tens of millions of American voters have to pick a side between an ex-president accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and a vice president who would be America's first woman leader.

That jarring dichotomy has caused conflict between spouses, friends and relatives while provoking deep feelings of concern over the nation's course.

"Americans are feeling increasingly stressed about politics," said a post on the American Psychological Association's website.

"It's been a tumultuous election season, with assassination attempts, a late-breaking candidate change, debate drama and legal battles."

Stop 'doom scrolling'

According to an APA survey released in October, 69% of US adults said the presidential election is a significant source of stress.

That figure tops the level of 68% in 2020, when America was at the tail end of Trump's turbulent presidency, the Covid pandemic was raging and social justice protests were going strong.

It is far above the 52% reported in 2016, the dawn of the Trump era of American politics.

Homesteader and hemp farmer Joe Upcavage was among a crowd of Trump supporters gathered Saturday to hear their leader in Salem, Virginia — four hours' drive and a political world away from solidly Democratic Reston.

"You're getting battered left and right by the media, and all the fake crap. You can't say anything on social media without it being reported as fake," he said of his experience this election.

"My hometown of Levittown, Pennsylvania, is having a whole bunch of voter fraud, and everyone there is stressed out because it's a mess, it's a complete disaster," he added.

"Our de-stressing is sticking to what we gotta do — taking care of the chickens, splitting wood," Upcavage said.

As the vote draws closer, scores of articles online offer advice on managing election stress — with tips ranging from breathing exercises to strategies like avoiding social media at bedtime.

"We all have different tolerance levels for this. It leads to catastrophising, which is jumping to that worst case scenario," Susan Albers, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic told ABC news.

One of the election stress event teachers, Reggie Hubbard, urged the roughly 45 people present to take care of themselves.

"I'm happy that you all came to be with strangers as opposed to doom scrolling," he said, drawing some laughter.

"We're in this together whether we like it or not. So why don't we try to like it?" Hubbard added.

That togetherness will be tested on Tuesday when Americans will have to come to terms with the fact nearly half the country doesn't agree with the result.