For the past decade, the American Psychological Association has been running the Stress in America™ survey to gauge and tabulate exactly how stress affects the health and well-being of American adults.

Is it any wonder that this current election season is setting new benchmarks for American stress?

“We’re seeing that it doesn’t matter whether you’re registered as a Democrat or Republican — U.S. adults say they are experiencing significant stress from the current election,” said Lynn Bufka, PhD, APA’s associate executive director for practice research and policy.

Republicans (59 percent) and Democrats (55 percent) are in a statistical dead heat when it comes to who is more likely to say the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress.

“Election stress becomes exacerbated by arguments, stories, images and video on social media that can heighten concern and frustration, particularly with thousands of comments that can range from factual to hostile or even inflammatory,” said Bufka.

It indeed appears as though social media is pushing us past the tipping point. Nearly 4 in 10 adults (38 percent) say that political and cultural discussions on social media stress them out. Additionally, adults who use social media are more likely than adults who do not to say the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress (54 percent versus 45 percent, respectively).

But fear not, the APA has put together some suggestions to see you past Election Day, if not exactly chill, than at least not climbing the walls:

• Limit your media consumption – just read enough to stay informed, without getting any of your buttons pushed.
• Take time for yourself, alone or with friends, but have a “no politics” rule for the get-together.
• Channel your concerns about the future of the country into something positive: volunteer in your community, advocate for an issue you support.
• Remember that it's not just a national election on November 8th. Look into state and local races and see what you can do to make a difference closer to home.
• Remember that the American political system of checks and balances is pretty resilient. You may think that the country will go off the rails if your candidate loses, but there are two other branches of government to keep everything in check.
• Most importantly, vote. The very act of casting your ballot is a proactive step that provides powerful closure.