5 tips to ease Election Day anxiety

OAKLAND, Calif. - The tension has been building for months as to who will become President of the United States and set the tone and agenda for the country. 

And on Tuesday, that tension was at an all-time high.

As the nation waits until the polls close and the ballots are counted to see whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Trump will be chosen to lead, many Americans spent the day worried that the election wouldn't go their way. 

Kaiser Permanente psychologist Jackie Shiels told KTVU on Tuesday that some people aren't dealing that well with the anxiety of waiting because it is based in uncertainty.

"Much of it is out of our hands at this point," she said. 

Still, Shiels provided five tips that voters can take to alleviate the unknown: 

Choose empathy

"When you communicate with your loved ones, with your friends, with your colleagues, always base your conversations in empathy," Shiels said, "knowing that everybody has different diverse backgrounds and it makes people who they are and what they believe in."

Ground yourself 

She added that if you're finding yourself with those symptoms of panic and anxiety, do something to help ground you, like refilling your fuel tank, go on a walk, eat a good meal.

Check your doom-scrolling

Shiels suggested that it's probably best for people to choose two or three of their favorite news sources and check in up to four times a day, but no more. 

Checking too often isn't that healthy. 

"I think we're all on autopilot with our cell phones," she said. "We check it five, 10 times an hour."

Shiels suggested turning your phone setting to focus mode, where it quiets the notifications from your apps. 

"I think that could be a really helpful tool for folks at home," she said. 

Debate ideas, not people 

Don't attack people personally.

"We value people," Shiels said. "There are friends for a reason. We don't always need to mesh politics with our personal preferences." 

Step away

Check in with your emotions and figure out for yourself when obsessing over the results is enough. 

"So, if it's getting too much, just step away for a little bit," Shiels said.