‘Election Stress Disorder Evident In Fiji’

While there were no studies to show that Fijians were undergoing election stress disorder, it was evident and concerning, said psychologist, Selina Kuruleca.

Said to have originated from the United States of America’s Presidential Election, signs of the disorder sparks the feeling of being out of control.

This then leads people to post their concerns on social media without thinking of the implications associated with it, she says.

Ms Kuruleca is concerned with the wellbeing of people during this period where people anxious­ly await the announcement of the next government.

“It suggests that anxiety, stress go up especially where the elec­tion was closely fought, no matter the outcome,” she said yesterday.

“And the debates around fraud just exacerbate this and make it more chronic.

“People are feeling the stress on the back of the COVID-19 pan­demic, economic hardship, social issues, and anxiety.

“Many people are experiencing tension and stress.”

Using the US Presidential Elec­tion in 2020 to support her com­ments, she said there were about 68 per cent of American adults said the election was a significant source of stress in their lives.

“Though there are no studies yet in Fiji, it is evident from conversa­tions on street corners, in homes, in our places of work and in the clinical setting, that people are worried about their rights,” she said.

“The words ‘robbed of our vote’ and it’s ‘been a waste of time’, ‘this happens every time we have an election,’ are heard loudly and clearly among our people who voted.”

Ms Kuruleca said this disorder was affecting people on all sides of the political landscape.

She said it was an experience of overwhelming anxiety that could manifest in a number of ways.

“I would think especially for young people the impact on reduc­ing their faith in democracy and belief that they have some power in the system would be distressing as well,” she said.

“Losing faith and hope in the world today and for a while yet, will be a trend that I envisage we will see in the next few weeks and months, unless there is some clear, transparent, consistent communi­cation and clear processes that are independent, audited and verified.

“There will be winners and losers in any election and it is important that this is done transparently, competently and with independ­ence and free from interference if our people are to respect the pro­cesses.”

Election stress symptoms

Ms Kuruleca said fear and hy­pervigilance could badly affect people.

“We notice it in our bodies; the tension in our shoulders. Some­times people get upset or complain of headache. People have trouble sleeping — tossing, turning and worrying, and not being able to get to sleep, or having bad dreams about the election,” she said.

“And it affects our emotions af­ter a while, so we start getting ir­ritable and short tempered, and snapping at people, not trusting people, seeing people as the other or as the same. And that starts af­fecting our relationships at home. It starts affecting our work.”

How to deal with it

Ms Kuruleca suggests that turn­ing mobile telephones off, limiting news intake and practicing medi­tation and mindfulness could help people avoid stress.

“Drink a lot of water and inten­tional mindfulness, self-care and exercise,” she said.

“I always tell people to turn to the things that are closest to their hearts - things that bring you peace and joy and comfort. Do what you need to do to preserve your peace in a time where that’s hard to do.”

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Story By: josefa.babitu@fijisun.com.fj