Election lingers as source of stress for many

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Many Americans are still experiencing a condition known as election stress disorder two weeks after the country went to the ballot box.

New reports from the American Psychological Association (APA) show that more than half of those interviewed say they’ve felt stress because of the election. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Democrats felt the election was “a somewhat or very significant source of stress,” the APA said.

Although many people feel election stress disorder is nonsense, Dr. Laura Streyfeller, a Fort Myers-based psychologist, said the disorder is very real.

“I think it doesn’t matter who the president is,” the Streyfeller said. “The fact that it is somebody new, we are going from a Democratic president to a Republican president.”

Social media also plays a role, according to Streyfeller, who said many people become anxious when they read startling viewpoints from others.

“This isn’t just with random people on social media,” Streyfeller said. “A lot of times they are reading posts by people that they love and care about that are just, ‘I didn’t know that about this person.'”

The APA recommends a few ways to avoid post-election stress:

• Avoid conversations about politics, especially if it could escalate into conflict
• Channel concerns into making a positive differences on important issues
• Limit media consumption
• Remember that life goes on
• Vote at the next opportunity

The study also revealed millennials and the elderly suffered from the most stress, especially among minorities.