Heading outdoors and enjoying the beauty of Colorado could be the best way to handle election anxiety. For several people, strolling through downtown Golden and hanging out with friends serves as a distraction from the outside noises surrounding the outcome of Nov. 5.
“I’m excited for it to be over, I think more so than anything,” Kate Popoff, a student at Rocky Vista University, explained. “It was a lot of research on my part to figure out who I wanted to vote for — if they aligned with my values, if they didn’t, so a lot of background research on that end.”
For others like Trinity Dudek, kicking around a soccer ball with friends helped relieve her worries ahead of Election Day.
“I think after a certain point, it feels very out of my control, which is stressful, so all you can really do is hope that everything works out how it’s supposed to,” Dudek said.
Navigating the stress and anxiety surrounding the election can be challenging. Psychology professor emeritus at Metropolitan State University of Denver Harvey Milkman, Ph.D., explained the toll these emotions can have on Coloradans’ bodies.