Distraction happens to everyone, but lately it can feel impossible to stay focused. Blame the fact that Election Day is just around the corner, and the polls have vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump locked in a tight race over who will lead the country for the next four years. “It’s very overwhelming,” says psychologist Thea Gallagher, a clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast.
“We are all getting completely inundated. I’m getting multiple texts a day about the campaign. It’s really hard to block it out and stay focused.
” Political anxiety is at a fever-pitch right now, according to a new poll from the American Psychological Association . It finds that 77% of Americans are stressed about the future of the country and 69% are specifically anxious about the election. Further, the poll found that 72% of Americans are worried that election results could lead to violence and 56% say they believe the election could be the end of democracy in the US.
It shows there’s a lot more involved than “just” an election, and mental health experts say it’s understandable to feel like you’re struggling to be locked in at work right now—even if others around you seem to be going about their lives as usual. Here’s what’s behind your election distraction, plus how to get a handle on it over the coming days. Why is it so hard to stay focused right now? At baseline, this is a big election.
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