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As if this election wasn’t toxic enough, it’s now making Americans sick.
At least two-thirds of Americans are anxious about the presidential race — up seven percentage points in four months. We are so worried about politics that we’re experiencing everything from weight loss and poor sleep to family tensions and depression.
Polarization has gotten so out of hand that even families and friends are pitted against each other. Children are estranged from their parents over voting differences. Americans have gone from opposing their children marrying outside their religion to opposing their children marrying outside their political party.
Why is politics undermining our mental health? The answer is simple. We’ve raised the stakes of our national politics to an unhealthy level. We’ve come to believe that the problems we face are so massive, the only way to solve them is through top-down control — a sentiment constantly reinforced by leaders on both sides of the aisle. National elections are now all about power. They aren’t just winner-take-all. They seem existential.
But we didn’t have to go this far — and we still have the ability to lower the stakes.
No question, elections matter, and good policies are essential to improving lives. But if we think that politics is the only way to solve our problems, our mental health is going to keep getting worse. If the “other side” wins, we’ll be devastated. And when “our side” wins but doesn’t make the difference we hoped, we’ll be devastated, too. I’d wager that almost every American has felt either or both of those feelings in recent years.
Thankfully, there are better ways to solve America’s biggest problems. We can all immediately drive progress from the bottom up. And doing so is critical to restoring our sense of well-being — both individually and as a society. Few things are more powerful than stepping up in our own communities.
Social science bears this out. When people get more involved — whether through volunteering at a local nonprofit, coaching a youth sports team, or simply talking with neighbors across the back fence — their mental health improves. No wonder: People’s action can make an obvious and immediate difference in someone’s life. And the more we help others, the more they want to help others, because they see their own power to make an impact.
Philanthropy’s Opportunity
For philanthropy, this presents an important opportunity to enable and grow programs that drive such engagement. By supporting initiatives that make it easier for individuals to volunteer, connect, and contribute, funders can play a transformative role in enhancing individual and community resilience.
This insight applies to everyone. Do you want to address homelessness? Innovative organizations across the country are building platforms and programs that empower volunteers to leverage their time and talent. One app, Samaritan, connects people to the opportunity to donate and share words of encouragement to help others take steps toward housing and health goals. Through other programs, neighbors can volunteer to provide all kinds of support — from delivering groceries to bringing people to a health clinic. People can also help the children of families experiencing homelessness through organizations like Friends of the Children by becoming part of a support team that helps a child with everything from rides to school to tutoring, from SAT prep to clothing.
Is child poverty one of your core issues? Take your pick of local efforts that give people a direct path to supporting families teetering on the edge of crisis. There are digital platforms like CarePortal, where community members can learn what local families need to keep their kids out of foster care — diapers, clothing, meals, etc. — and then help out with time or resources. Other programs, like National Angels, connect individuals directly with children in the foster care system to mentor them on everything from getting a driver’s license to understanding financial literacy. Whatever the issue, platforms such as Points of Light match people with organizations in their area. And funders can help foster further innovation by supporting this coordination.
Formal volunteering just scratches the surface of ways Americans can make a difference. Even something as simple as mowing your elderly neighbor’s lawn or delivering a meal to a sick friend can make a difference — for you and the country. People can find meaning by making a difference while helping tackle the national epidemic of loneliness. In fact, having a conversation with someone you disagree with can make a powerful difference. It’s tackling polarization by treating others as people, not just political opponents.
Every American has the ability to act. And the more we act, the more we’ll start to rebuild the muscle of civic participation. That muscle has atrophied as we’ve placed our hopes in winner-take-all politics. But if we use that muscle once again, we’ll find new and better ways to tackle the challenges our country faces. Our collective solutions quickly add up to something far bigger, better, and more resilient than today’s high-stakes politics.
The choice is ours. We can keep getting more and more sick over toxic politics. Or we can renew our mental health by actually healing what ails our communities.
(The Commons is financed in part with philanthropic support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, JPB Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation. None of our supporters have any control over or input into story selection, reporting, or editing, and they do not review articles before publication. See more about the Chronicle, the grants, how our foundation-supported journalism works, and our gift-acceptance policy.)
