Nearly two weeks after the election, many Americans are experiencing worsened mental health, including feeling burnt out, fatigued, apathetic or stressed.
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the general election, Americans have had diverse reactions ranging from joy to terror.
A recent The Economist/YouGov poll revealed that 40% of poll participants felt the election results would have “a lot of impact” on them personally, and 32% felt “upset” post-election.
Some young voters endured particularly negative mental health following the election, and youth mental health hotlines saw an increase in usage following the election. The Trevor Project, a resource for LGBTQ+ youth, saw a 700% spike in calls to their crisis line following the election.
Allyson Thompson, a freshman in political science and vice president of the political science club, said that some students seem to be distinctly impacted by the election results, particularly first-time voters.
“I think older people are probably disappointed, but I mean, they have been through a lot more election cycles than we have,” Thompson said. “We’ve been through just four presidents and half of them we don’t even remember. So I think, especially as a first-time voter myself, first-time voters have taken it harder.”
Ben Kujawa, president of NAMI on Campus’s Iowa State chapter and a senior studying forestry, emphasized that he thinks young people are very politically involved, which may be connected to the election’s impact on some young voters.
“I think it’s a big wake-up call for a lot of young people,” Kujawa said. “We’re realizing this is going to impact our lives for the next four years, and potentially more, so we want to really do the most that we can to get the outcome that we want.”
Mack Shelley, a political science professor, compared the reaction to the recent election to the 1972 election when Richard Nixon defeated George McGovern, an anti-war candidate that appealed to many young voters.
“It takes a long time to overcome that sense of redaction and the feeling that you’re really badly alienated from the general body politic,” Shelley said.
Shelley also said that people not constantly thinking about politics will likely be overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive during the election.
“I think in terms of people who don’t, kind of wallow in politics, if you will, all the time, they just had a super dose, and that’s probably far more than what they were counting on,” Shelly said.
Jackson Haugh, the president of the political science club and a graduate student studying political science, said that political advertising may also contribute to higher burnout following the election.
“I think a lot of people got a lot of ads, and we’re told to care about the election, and they are kind of burnt out from politics in the aftermath,” Haugh said.
A Civic Science poll in April reported that 30% of U.S. adults posted about politics “somewhat” or “very” frequently on social media. Kujawa said that the constant access to the internet and social media makes it difficult to avoid taking part in discussions.
“I think, you know, regardless of if you’re happy or sad about it, I feel like a lot of people, no matter what, are just finding themselves going more and more to social media, either to validate themselves or to vent or to just kind of doom-scroll, I would say,” Kujawa said. “And that’s kind of how I find myself as I’m just even more enveloped by it.”
Kujawa continued by explaining that for much of Gen-Z’s childhood, the internet was a limited space, often a computer in the home that symbolized the extent of our internet access.
“It’s not a place we can visit anymore,” Kujawa said. “It’s a life that we’re living.”
Thompson said that the constant information from the media also contributes to what is fatiguing people.
“I think a lot of people are just experiencing a lot of fatigue from the constant news cycles about the election, about politics,” Thompson said. “I think everybody, whether they voted for Donald or for Kamala. They really are just kind of sick of hearing about it. It’s just time for everybody to move on.”
To deal with this post-election fatigue, Thompson suggested that students recenter and focus on community to deal with their emotions.
“It’s just good to recenter because no matter what, win or lose, it’s a lot,” Thompson said. “It’s overwhelming, and it’s a lot. So I think, just talk to people. Get out of your house, like, get out of your head. Get out of your house. Go find people, you know what, whatever activity you’re doing. Just don’t rot. Don’t just stay on the internet and just absorb that because there’s a lot of other things going on outside of the election, so you just kind of have to focus on that.”
Kujawa furthered this point and urged students to talk to others post-election.
“For me, it’s always about just talking to people,” Kujawa said. “Sometimes you do want to rant, and you just want to scream because it can be frustrating, you know, regardless of how you felt about this election, and it’s frustrating. I think, just talking to people and finding people, whether they have the same anger as you and finding a place to put that energy in a positive aspect, is, I think, what’s most important.”
Kujawa also urged students to check out counseling at Iowa State or the Iowa State Safe app if they need additional mental health support.
Haugh also shared tips and how he manages as someone who is “obsessed” with politics.
“I definitely get very obsessed with politics and am somebody that is constantly updating my feed, looking at the news stories that come out,” Haugh said. “ I think it’s important that you get some time to yourself. Spend some time in nature, take a break from phones, that kind of thing. That’ll definitely help.”
Haugh reported that the day after the election, the political science club saw higher attendance.
“The day after the election, we had a political science club meeting, and we had a very good turnout, around 25 people, which is pretty high for us,” Haugh said. “A lot of people came in with the energy to do something about politics and to make their voice heard.”
Thompson said that she thinks the election results will also encourage people to become more involved in politics.
“I think it’ll rile people up more,” Thompson said. “I mean, we saw a shocking number of young men come out and vote that was not expected. If you keep having candidates that young people feel connected to or want to support, it is definitely going to continue to bring people out. Hopefully, in the next cycle, a lot of young Democrats are not dissuaded to come and vote, but I think more and more will keep voting.”
Shelley also spoke about how the media and social media users try to pinpoint one reason the democrats lost the election, but change relies on young people.
“It has to be propelled by young people,” Shelley said. “Otherwise, it’s not going to be permanent. So that’s a pitch for young people not to give up.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, visit the Iowa State Crisis Resource page for resources.
