Election Day Anxiety and Neurodivergence: DBT Coping Skills for Autism, ADHD & AuDHD
By Dr. Amanda Neal, PsyD | Licensed Psychologist
Election season can bring a heightened sense of uncertainty, emotional intensity, and information overload. Between breaking news, social media discussions, conflicting opinions, and anticipation about election results, it can become difficult to disconnect from political information and return attention to everyday life.
For autistic individuals and people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), election-related stress may interact with existing challenges involving emotional regulation, sensory processing, cognitive flexibility, executive functioning, and uncertainty.
Individuals with co-occurring autism and ADHD, often referred to as AuDHD, may experience additional difficulties balancing a desire for predictability with challenges disengaging from rapidly changing information.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers practical strategies for managing election anxiety, tolerating uncertainty, regulating emotional responses, and establishing healthy boundaries around information consumption.
Importantly, managing election anxiety does not mean dismissing legitimate concerns, suppressing emotions, or disengaging from personally meaningful issues. Instead, the goal is to develop strategies that support emotional well-being while respecting individual values, needs, and autonomy.
Why Can Election Day Feel So Overwhelming? DBT coping skills for autism
Election-related anxiety can emerge from several interacting factors, including uncertainty, exposure to emotionally charged information, interpersonal conflict, and concern about the future.
The American Psychological Association has identified political uncertainty as a meaningful source of stress for many Americans, with potential effects on sleep, emotional well-being, and relationships.
For neurodivergent individuals, several additional factors may influence how this stress is experienced. DBT coping skills for autism
1. Intolerance of Uncertainty and the Need for Predictability
Some autistic individuals experience significant distress when outcomes are uncertain or routines are disrupted.
Election coverage may involve changing projections, incomplete information, and unpredictable timelines.
The desire for certainty can contribute to repetitive checking, increased worry, or difficulty shifting attention away from election-related information.
2. ADHD, Hyperfocus, and Difficulty Disengaging
For individuals with ADHD, rapidly changing news and social media feeds may capture attention and make disengagement difficult.
Repeatedly checking updates may interfere with sleep, work, academic responsibilities, or other meaningful activities.
This does not necessarily reflect a lack of self-control. Attention regulation, emotional salience, and environmental reinforcement can all contribute to difficulty shifting away from highly stimulating content.
3. Sensory and Information Overload
Television commentary, multiple news feeds, notifications, and emotionally intense discussions can create a high-demand sensory and cognitive environment.
For autistic individuals with sensory sensitivities, these experiences may contribute to fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or emotional overwhelm.
4. Emotional Intensity and Interpersonal Conflict
Election-related conversations can involve strong emotions, disagreements, and perceived threats to important values.
Some individuals may experience heightened anxiety, anger, sadness, frustration, or difficulty recovering after emotionally charged interactions.
Recognizing these experiences as understandable responses to stress is an important starting point for effective coping.
1. Use DBT Mindfulness to Recognize Emotional Warning Signs
Mindfulness is a foundational DBT skill that involves noticing present-moment experiences with awareness and without unnecessary judgment.
During election season, mindfulness can help individuals recognize when information consumption is contributing to emotional dysregulation.
Rather than immediately attempting to change an emotion, begin by observing what is happening.
Ask yourself:
What am I noticing in my body?
Have I become more tense, restless, or irritable?
Am I repeatedly checking the same information?
Is the amount of information making it harder to concentrate?
What would support my well-being in this moment?
Neurodiversity-Affirming Mindfulness Adaptations
Traditional mindfulness exercises may not be comfortable or accessible for everyone.
Alternatives include brief visual check-ins, movement-based mindfulness, identifying external objects, or using a simple emotional intensity scale.
For individuals who experience difficulty identifying emotions, noticing physical sensations or behavioral changes may be a more accessible starting point.
Practical exercise: Before checking election coverage, rate your current distress from 0 to 10. Check again afterward. Use this information to identify whether your current media routine is supporting or interfering with your well-being.
2. Use the DBT STOP Skill Before Reacting to Stressful Information
The DBT STOP skill is a distress tolerance strategy that helps create space between an emotional trigger and an immediate behavioral response.
It can be useful when encountering upsetting headlines, emotionally charged discussions, or unexpected information.
How to Practice STOP
S — Stop: Pause before responding or continuing to scroll.
T — Take a Step Back: Put down your phone, close the news application, or step away from the conversation.
O — Observe: Notice your thoughts, emotions, urges, physical sensations, and the information currently available.
P — Proceed Mindfully: Decide what response would best support your immediate needs and longer-term goals.
Example: Responding to an Upsetting Headline
An adult with ADHD encounters an emotionally charged headline and feels an immediate urge to search multiple websites, respond to comments, and repeatedly refresh social media.
Using STOP, the individual pauses, recognizes rising anxiety, and decides to verify the information through a reliable source during a planned news check-in.
This approach supports intentional information consumption rather than automatically responding to emotional urgency.
3. Practice Radical Acceptance When Election Results Are Uncertain
Radical Acceptance is a DBT distress tolerance skill that involves acknowledging reality as it currently exists, even when that reality is uncomfortable or unwanted.
During election coverage, incomplete information and uncertain outcomes may create significant emotional distress.
Radical Acceptance does not mean agreeing with an outcome, abandoning personal values, or pretending that difficult circumstances are acceptable.
Instead, it involves recognizing what is known and what remains uncertain without adding unnecessary suffering through repeated mental resistance.
For example:
"I do not know the final outcome right now. I can acknowledge that uncertainty without spending every moment trying to resolve it."
For individuals who find uncertainty especially challenging, this skill can be paired with predictable routines, scheduled information updates, and concrete plans for responding to distress.
4. Use Check the Facts to Manage Catastrophic Thinking
Election-related uncertainty may contribute to catastrophic thinking, particularly when individuals encounter alarming predictions or incomplete information.
The DBT Check the Facts skill helps distinguish observable information from assumptions and interpretations.
Consider asking:
What information has actually been confirmed?
What am I predicting or assuming?
Am I treating a possible outcome as though it is certain?
Are there alternative explanations?
Is my emotional response influenced by incomplete or unverified information?
What response would be effective right now?
Example: Anxiety About Uncertain Outcomes
An individual notices that election coverage is changing rapidly and begins imagining several distressing future scenarios.
Using Check the Facts, the individual identifies which information is confirmed, recognizes which thoughts are predictions, and decides whether further information is necessary at that moment.
Importantly, Check the Facts should not be used to minimize legitimate concerns. It is intended to support accurate interpretation and effective responding, not to dismiss the emotional significance of real events.
5. Use DBT Distress Tolerance Skills for Emotional Overwhelm
When emotional intensity becomes high, complex problem-solving may become difficult.
DBT distress tolerance strategies can help individuals navigate acute distress without engaging in behaviors that create additional problems.
Sensory-Informed Self-Soothing
For autistic and ADHD individuals, self-soothing strategies should reflect individual sensory preferences.
Examples include:
Moving to a quieter environment
Reducing screen brightness or notification sounds
Listening to familiar music
Using comfortable clothing or preferred sensory objects
Engaging in familiar movement
Taking a break from emotionally intense conversations
Spending time in a predictable, low-stimulation space
These strategies may be particularly useful when distress is compounded by sensory overload.
Adapting the DBT TIPP Skills
DBT's TIPP skills address acute physiological arousal through temperature-based techniques, brief intense exercise, paced breathing, and paired muscle relaxation.
Not every strategy is appropriate for every person. Temperature-based techniques and physical activity require consideration of medical conditions, and some exercises may be uncomfortable for individuals with sensory or interoceptive differences.
The goal is to identify safe, tolerable strategies rather than requiring everyone to use the same technique.
6. Create a Structured Election News Routine
For some individuals, repeatedly checking news coverage can temporarily reduce uncertainty while ultimately increasing distress.
A structured information routine may help reduce compulsive checking and protect time for other activities.
Consider the following strategies:
Choose reliable information sources. Identify a small number of trustworthy outlets rather than continuously switching between multiple feeds.
Schedule information check-ins. Decide when and how often to review updates based on your needs.
Reduce unnecessary notifications. Turn off alerts that are not essential.
Use external reminders. Timers, calendar reminders, or app settings may support disengagement for individuals with ADHD.
Protect recovery time. Consider creating news-free periods before bedtime, during meals, or when completing important tasks.
Make room for flexibility. A helpful routine should reduce stress rather than become another rigid rule.
The goal is not to eliminate access to information. It is to create a sustainable relationship with information consumption.
7. Use Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills to Set Boundaries
Election-related conversations can become emotionally intense, particularly when individuals have different opinions, communication styles, or levels of interest in discussing current events.
DBT interpersonal effectiveness skills can support clear communication, healthy boundaries, and relationship maintenance.
DEAR MAN: Communicating Your Needs
DEAR MAN is a DBT skill for making requests and communicating boundaries.
For example:
"I've noticed that our conversations about the election have been leaving me overwhelmed. I understand this topic is important, but I need to take a break from discussing it tonight. I'd appreciate it if we could talk about something else."
This approach communicates a clear need without requiring the other person to share the same perspective.
GIVE and FAST: Maintaining Relationships and Self-Respect
GIVE emphasizes relationship effectiveness through attention, validation, and respectful communication.
FAST emphasizes self-respect, fairness, honesty, and maintaining personal values.
For neurodivergent individuals, these skills may be adapted through written scripts, direct language, additional processing time, or clear agreements about conversation boundaries.
Healthy interpersonal effectiveness does not require unnecessary masking, tolerating disrespect, or participating in conversations that exceed one's current capacity.
8. Use DBT Cope Ahead to Prepare for Election Night
Cope Ahead is a DBT emotion regulation skill that involves anticipating a potentially stressful situation and rehearsing an effective response.
Rather than attempting to predict every possible outcome, individuals can prepare for the emotional and practical demands of election night.
A Neurodiversity-Affirming Election Night Plan
Identify likely triggers. Consider which situations may increase anxiety, such as unexpected news, social media conflict, uncertainty, or sensory overload.
Recognize early warning signs. Identify physical, emotional, or behavioral indicators of increasing distress.
Select coping strategies in advance. Choose accessible DBT skills, sensory accommodations, or supportive activities.
Plan communication boundaries. Decide how to request space, decline conversations, or communicate support needs.
Protect essential routines. Consider sleep, meals, medication routines, work responsibilities, and recovery time.
Rehearse your response. Mentally practice recognizing distress, using a selected skill, and returning to a manageable activity.
A written or visual Cope Ahead plan may be particularly helpful for individuals who experience executive functioning difficulties or become overwhelmed by spontaneous decision-making.
9. Balance Acceptance and Change Through Dialectical Thinking
A central principle of DBT is dialectical thinking: recognizing that two seemingly opposing experiences can both be true.
During election season, individuals may experience competing needs, such as wanting to remain informed while also needing emotional rest.
Examples of dialectical thinking include:
"I can care deeply about current events and still take breaks from the news."
"I can feel uncertain about the future and focus on what I can do today."
"I can experience strong emotions and choose how I respond to them."
"I can respect someone else's perspective without agreeing with it."
"I can acknowledge difficult realities while also attending to my well-being."
Dialectical thinking can help reduce all-or-nothing interpretations and support greater psychological flexibility.
10. Recognize When Election Anxiety Is Interfering With Daily Life
Temporary anxiety during emotionally significant events is not necessarily a mental health disorder.
However, additional support may be helpful when stress begins interfering with daily functioning.
Signs may include:
Persistent difficulty sleeping
Repeated checking that interferes with responsibilities
Increased irritability or emotional dysregulation
Difficulty concentrating on work or school
Withdrawal from important relationships or activities
Increased panic symptoms or avoidance
Significant sensory overwhelm or exhaustion
Difficulty returning to usual routines
For autistic and ADHD individuals, treatment may benefit from examining how anxiety interacts with executive functioning, sensory processing, emotional awareness, and environmental demands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can election anxiety feel especially difficult for people with autism or ADHD?
Some autistic and ADHD individuals experience challenges related to uncertainty, emotional regulation, attention shifting, sensory processing, or executive functioning. Election-related stress may interact with these differences, although experiences vary considerably between individuals.
Can DBT help with election anxiety?
DBT offers skills for mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These strategies may help individuals navigate uncertainty, manage emotional intensity, and respond more effectively to stressful information.
How can I stop repeatedly checking election news?
Consider identifying the purpose of each check-in, scheduling information updates, reducing unnecessary notifications, and practicing DBT STOP before reopening news applications. If checking feels compulsive or is significantly interfering with daily life, individualized assessment may help clarify whether anxiety, OCD-related processes, or attention regulation difficulties are contributing.
What if I feel overwhelmed by political conversations?
Interpersonal effectiveness skills can help you communicate boundaries, request breaks, and choose when to participate in discussions. Sensory accommodations and additional processing time may also be helpful.
How can I manage uncertainty after Election Day?
DBT Radical Acceptance, Check the Facts, mindfulness, and Cope Ahead can help individuals acknowledge uncertainty while maintaining routines, attending to personal needs, and choosing effective responses.
Specialized Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy in Westchester County, NY
Dr. Amanda Neal, PsyD, is a New York State licensed psychologist specializing in autism, ADHD, AuDHD, and co-occurring mental health concerns.
Based in Westchester County, New York, Dr. Neal integrates evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support neurodivergent adolescents and adults.
Her approach emphasizes adapting treatment to individual cognitive, sensory, communication, emotional, and executive functioning needs.
Whether you're navigating election-related anxiety, chronic worry, emotional dysregulation, sensory overwhelm, or difficulty tolerating uncertainty, individualized therapy can help you develop practical coping strategies while honoring your values and lived experiences.
This article provides general educational information and is not a substitute for individualized psychological assessment or treatment.
Comments