by DCG
From NBC: The midterm elections are turning out to be nearly as stressful as the 2016 presidential election — especially for Democrats.
According to a poll conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the fitness site Daily Burn, Democrats are 50 percent more likely than Republicans to say they’re “eating their feelings” as a result of the current political climate. They’re also drinking more (a 2-to-1 ratio over their GOP counterparts).
The ostensibly good news is that these stressed out Democrats are also working out more, by as much as 40 percent; but even exercise can be overdone.
“I’m seeing some people so stressed at the moment they’re doing two, even three soul cycle classes at day,” Dr. Navya Mysore, a primary care doctor, tells NBC News BETTER. “Exercise is good for you, but too much is not. You [risk] dehydration and your body needs time to rest and rejuvenate.”
What appears to be happening among many concerned voters, is that they’re resorting excessively to the habits that help us de-stress, whether that’s eating, drinking or exercising.
“Depending on how you’re used to dealing with stress, people tend to gravitate toward that habit more,” says Dr. Mysore. “If you had a hard day, you’ll have a glass of wine, so maybe you’re doing that more. Same for people who are stress eaters — they’ll eat more. If you’re more prone to sweat it out when stressed, then you’ll do that more.”
Binging almost always leaves us feeling crummy, even if what we’re binging on is as benign as Netflix (which Daily Burn’s poll found both Democrats and Republicans are doing plenty of in reaction to the fraught political climate).
How do we stop the stress-induced madness? We turned to health experts for practical tips on managing binge-y behavior when stressed. Read the whole story here for the not-so-surprising ways to de-stress.
Even though I blog about politics every day, I have lots of other interests and activities to keep me busy and happy. Plus I don’t have TDS…
DCG