How We Bypass Election Stress in our Bodies

Recent surveys have shown that marginalized people —like neurodivergent, transgender, or people from non-European backgrounds—are feeling increased levels of stress as we approach the U.S. presidential election. This doesn’t have to happen and it’s a serious public health challenge. Ideally, there would be a widespread effort to curb this stress, but the lack of attention does not mean we can’t take action to mitigate the damage. In my coaching practice, I offer a simple technique to help clients who are dealing with stress or the effects of vicarious trauma in their daily lives. I call this technique “S.N.A.P.S.,” which I’ve adapted from Resmaa Menakem’s “Five Anchors.” It’s designed to empower and support individuals during these tense times.

S.N.A.P.S. is an acronym that stands for the following:

Settling our body, mind, and heart in response to a stressful situation

Noticing sensations, thoughts, and feelings that surface

Accepting whatever surfaces without intellectualizing, judging, or attempting to control

Practicing presence—remain in the here and now; respond from a place of strength (if it is safe to do so)

Shifting our energy and attention after we exit the situation—choose a physical activity that brings you joy

How to Settle

Breathwork

Deep breathing is an effective technique to calm the body, mind, and heart. Simply inhale slowly through your nose, hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this process for a few minutes, and you will feel relaxed and focused.

Pressure

Place your dominant hand over your stomach or heart and press gently but firmly. Rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, whichever feels natural to you. This practice helps to calm our vagus nerve, which controls our fight, freeze, and flight response. The vagus nerve turns on our parasympathetic nervous system, also known as our rest and digest system.

Music

Listen to or sing along to a tune that you find comforting or calming. A poem, if spoken, also works. One stanza is usually enough to settle our nerves. If you're alone, try humming the tune for an added boost! The calming effect of mantras, prayers, and communal singing speaks to the efficacy of this practice.

How to Notice

Stories

Our minds create stories instantly, usually filtering information that confirms our beliefs or worldviews. In the absence of enough reliable information, we weave a narrative in an attempt to meet our needs for psychological, social, and physical safety. We can effectively ground ourselves by being aware of our surroundings and what is happening in our emotional and mental spheres. Over time, we can learn to notice recurring stories in response to stress. Our minds are not very original. 90% of our thoughts are repeated from prior thoughts, and stories are the same. We can learn to question our self-limiting stories too.

Signals

Know your body’s stress signals. Common bodily reactions to stress include tightening the jaw, unknowingly holding one’s breath, narrowing of the eyes, dryness in the throat, a “sinking feeling” in the stomach, and “fidgety” hands, arms, feet, and legs. Our cultural background, social roles, age, and even our language influence the signals that we give off in response to stress.

Scanning

Do a quick body scan from your toes to your head or vice versa. Anchor yourself to your senses—what do you hear, see, sense through touch, and so forth? Starting from the outside can help us seamlessly shift to inner awareness.

How to Accept

Awareness

Acceptance does not mean approval, and it isn’t necessarily a positive trait. In stressful situations, though, practicing awareness and acceptance can help us identify our points of power (our agency).

We accept how things are in the moment so that we may place our experiences in the proper context and position ourselves to what is occurring.

If we experience hurtful language and we do not accept it, we are less able to meet our needs for dignity and belonging. Instead, accepting that we are hurt by what was said or done allows us to be more present and aware so that we can respond appropriately.

How to Practice Presence

Background Info

Being present and aware is vital to meeting our needs and ensuring that stress does not become locked into our bodies. Neuroscience shows us that when we are in a stressful situation, our blood instinctively redirects to our vital organs at the core of our body and into our muscles in preparation for fight, flight, or freeze.

This adaptation was helpful to our ancestors, but this response also blocks oxygen in the pre-frontal cortex, lowering our cognitive capacity by as much as 75%.

The Three B’s

To stay present, I recommend the Three B’s: Breathing, Boundaries, and Belonging. We can practice breathing deeply into our diaphragm, inhaling through the nose, and exhaling from a relaxed mouth.

Boundaries refer to our non-negotiables and belonging speaks to how we relate to our space. To help articulate belonging, I like to think of the acronym R.A.C.K. (Who, what, and where do we relate to, accept, connect easily, and show kindness towards.) If we know we do not feel a strong sense of belonging, we are more aware of how we want to act.

How to Shift our Energy

Movement

Strength training, jogging, and aerobic exercise are helpful in "moving the energy through us" after a stressful situation.

It's important to shift energy as soon as possible after the stressful event has passed so that the energy does not get "locked" into our tissues.

Movement is our body’s primary mode of expression. It allows us to remain connected to our bodies, emotions, and instincts, helping us to stay flexible, aware, and in tune with the wordless wisdom within.

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