Dan Harris: How to Survive the Election

Make your life a little bit happier

Today's post comes from Dan Harris, a former news anchor who has written an important book called 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story.

You can find him on Substack

Dan Harris

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Dan has become an expert on what it means to be both a skeptic and to want to improve your quality of life, and I asked him to share some tips on surviving the next few weeks of election season with you.

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Here’s Dan:

We’re kicking off another likely-to-be-hectic week in American politics. The polls are tight; the barbs are flying; the ads are flooding the airwaves and our feeds. And it’s all against the backdrop of an escalating war in the Middle East and stubbornly high prices at home.

If this presidential campaign is increasing your anxiety levels, I get it. I know the chaos from the inside, having been a news anchor for several decades. (Tellingly, during the debates, I find my empathy often extending to the moderators. What a thankless job.)

A few years ago, I retired from journalism. Now my job is to spread one piece of good news: that the brain and the mind are trainable—that all of the states of mind you want (happiness, calm, gratitude) are not unalterable factory settings, but instead skills. 

Let me make a radical proposal to you: I want to reframe this difficult election as an opportunity—a dojo where we can train ourselves to do life better.

Here are three strategies I am personally using to survive this stressful historical moment. All of these are applicable in many areas of life. 

1. Action absorbs anxiety. 

One of the biggest issues I, and many of us, struggle with during this nail biter of an election is the feeling of powerlessness. A terrific antidote to this is to get active locally. You may not be able to impact the outcome, but there’s a lot you can do in your own sphere which can restore your sense of agency.

You can volunteer on a campaign. Or you can take action on a completely unrelated front. Volunteer in a food kitchen. Or an animal shelter. If you’re busy, you don’t even need to volunteer.

You can just try to be a little bit more helpful to friends and family. Have you ever noticed what it feels like to simply hold the door open for somebody? Pay attention to that feeling. It’s infinitely scalable.

In her new book, The Small and the Mighty, Sharon writes about Virginia Randolph, a woman born to enslaved parents who began teaching rural Black children at the age of seventeen, eventually becoming a leader in American education.

Randolph inherited an excellent motto from her own mother. When in doubt, just do “the next needed thing.” I love that. I might get it tattooed on my arm, as a reminder.

2. Limit and diversify news consumption.

This may sound heretical coming from a recovering anchorman, but I really do try to make sure I don’t binge on the news compulsively. Mindfulness meditation is very helpful in this regard. It gives me the self-awareness to know when I’m stuck in a dark hole of doomscrolling.

The other thing I try to do is listen to voices from all along the ideological spectrum. Meaning that I subscribe to newsletters and listen to podcasts from people with whom I disagree. I find this surprisingly soothing.

Yes, it can be challenging to read or listen to people I don’t particularly like, but it’s better to try to understand them rather than reflexively hating them.

Also, it can be exhilarating to have your opinions challenged. It makes you stronger. Science shows having an open mind can lead to less anxiety and more professional success. This is backed up by sages over the ages who have extolled the virtues of intellectual humility.

Emerson called consistency the hobgoblin of small minds. Yeats said the best lack all conviction. Rumi exhorted us to exchange our cleverness for bewilderment. 

It reminds me of something the Dalai Lama once said: “If a problem can be solved, there is no use worrying about it. If it can’t be solved, worrying will do no good.”

3. Never worry alone.

I first heard this expression from Dr. Robert Waldinger, who is in charge of something called the Harvard Study of Adult Development. It’s the longest running research project in the history of science.

For nearly 90 years, scientists have tracked several generations of families in the Boston area, with the goal of determining what are the factors that increase both lifespan and health span.

Turns out, the most important variable is not sleep, exercise, or diet. It’s the quality of your relationships. Stress is what kills us, and relationships can help us mitigate stress.

So as you go through the selection, try not to do your worrying solo. Make it a team sport. For me, I’m constantly in conversation, either IRL or on text, with my friends.

I really tried to apply this advice in every aspect of my life. For example, I just started my own Substack, and had my full team with me on launch day. You can watch a video below.

So are three tips for sanely navigating the election. If you want more ideas, check out my Substack, where I have a list of eight things that are keeping me calm right now. 

Also, Sharon herself will be on my podcast on October 21, with her own list of sanity saving techniques.