Evading that election season stress - how to keep yourself calm in a polarized time

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - How is the presidential election season impacting you? Considering it's so contentious, it's spawning a season of stress.

So, what do you do about it, especially since the election is with us whether we like it or not?

You could take up meditation, and burn some incense, which would work but those are only momentary when we need something more real.

The first thing to recognize and accept is the election is going to be everywhere until November 5 and maybe beyond.

"We have a natural tendency to want to feel in control and the elections can undermine that feeling of control," said psychologist Dr. Susan Albers of the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Albers said it's important to recognize the sources of that stress.

"Social media ads and blogs are often designed to trigger strong emotions and controversy," she said. "The more you scroll and comment, it's likely that this is going to trigger high levels of anxiety and stress."

So, recognizing that you can't hibernate like a bear until it's over and that it's coming at you from everything electronic - establish boundaries.

"It's important to stay informed, but we also have to have good limits around how much media we consume on a daily basis," Dr. Albers said.

She also cautioned not to go down the rabbit hole of worst-case scenarios.

Then, when together with friends or even family, set up rules such as making it a no politics gathering.

Things have become so polarized you know who is going to get you going or whose chain you can pull, but it rarely ends well. You can't control them, so look inward.

"We need to focus on what we can control versus what we can't, whether that is your daily routine, exercise, and self-care," she said.

If you're watching something and a political commercial comes on, remember - the mute button is your antidote to skyrocketing blood pressure.

Finally, remember, if you're with a group of people and the election comes up, there's nothing wrong with asking to not talk about it and if that doesn't work...just walk away.