Feeling anxious about the U.S. election results? Elmo says, ‘Stop scrolling, take a deep breath’

You know it’s bad when Sesame Street calls in Elmo.

“Stop scrolling, take a deep breath, and use the next few minutes to escape to a place where the air is sweet,” the beloved children’s show said in a post on X this morning, the day of the U.S. election in one most divisive races for the White House in recent memory.

In the post, the camera pans past Elmo sitting quietly among potted flowers. It’s sunny. The only sound is the chirps of birdsong. It’s calm. It’s soothing. It’s everything today isn’t as people in the U.S. and around the world watch the election results with a mix of hope and anxiety … heavy on the anxiety.

“You know it’s almost Election Day when the Sesame Street characters have to run a co-ordinated campaign to keep us from doing another Civil War,” wrote X user Melissa Turkington, a nod to the fact that Grover, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Big Bird and Rosita all posted similar positive messaging in the last 24 hours.

“My son will be watching you for an hour later while I doomscroll into oblivion,” replied a user on X.

“Who knew we’d still look toward our childhood homies for reassurance that everything was gonna be OK,” wrote another. It was in response to another post of Grover saying, “We all face moments when things feel overwhelming, and that’s okay. Remember, you are not alone.”

If you’re feeling anxious today, you’re far from alone. A new poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about seven in 10 Americans report feeling anxious or frustrated about the 2024 presidential campaign.

“I feel like a lot is at stake,” Anthony Nelson told CBC News on the ground in Philadelphia, in front of Independence Hall.

“And that’s actually why I ran by here — Independence Hall — I come by here every election and say a little prayer and hope for everything to work out.”

And Canadians will be watching the results with trepidation, knowing they have no control over the outcome that will still affect them. Polling shows U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are neck-and-neck. 

“I have U.S. election anxiety … even though I’m Canadian,” wrote The Weather Network’s Kim MacDonald on X Sunday.

“In my life, I have rarely felt this helpless. Awaiting the verdict of the American electorate Tuesday night — or whenever we get an official result — has left me a nervous wreck. I’m sure I’m not alone,” writes Montreal Gazette columnist Allison Hanes in an op-ed published this morning.

Emotions ramped up

According to the poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, some groups are even more anxious than they were four years ago, even though that election took place amid a deadly pandemic. In 2020, an AP-NORC poll found that about two-thirds of Americans were anxious about the election, which is not statistically significant from the new result.

But for partisans, anxiety is dialled a little higher. About eight in 10 Democrats say anxious describes how they are feeling now, up slightly from around three-quarters in the last election. About two-thirds of Republicans are anxious, a moderate uptick from around six in 10 in 2020.

In Philadelphia, Kathryn Shrader told CBC News she’ll be managing her anxiety with “wine and my dogs.”

“It’s hard to describe. I feel very poorly that there are people that can’t see the logic, and that are OK with somebody who’s going to run the country making racist remarks and [then] saying oh it’s not a big deal, it’s just a one-off.”

Meanwhile, the candidates have offered closing arguments that are in stark contrast with each other. Harris argued that Trump is obsessed with revenge and his own personal needs, while Trump referred to Harris at a rally on Sunday night as “a trainwreck who has destroyed everything in her path.”

Tien Nguyen, 34, a tech industry worker in Philadelphia, planned to have friends over Tuesday night for what she’s calling the “Election Night Anxiety Fest.”

“We’re going to eat our emotions,” Nguyen said as she waited for the Harris rally in Philadelphia to start.

“This time around, I know I’m going to be very anxious, and I just want people around,” she said.

‘Absolutely nothing we can do to stop it’

Of course, emotions are high north of the border, too.

“Any election in the U.S. is important and impactful for us,” said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States. “They are central to our economic prosperity. They are a vital security partner.”

CBC Comedy’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes posted a throwback clip this week with the description, “2016 election stress [meets] 2024 election stress.” 

In the video, actor Susan Kent yells, “I’m experiencing a Canada election stress reaction!” while struggling to take a breath. “There’s absolutely nothing we can do to stop it!”

“No seriously this election has me STRESSED as a Canadian woman,” commented one person on the TikTok post.

Experts have called this one of the most gendered elections in history. Trump appointed three of the justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who formed the conservative majority that overturned federal abortion rights. As the fallout from the 2022 decision spreads, he has taken to claiming at public events and in social media posts that he would “protect women” and ensure they wouldn’t be “thinking about abortion.”

“I’ve had to stop watching election coverage cuz I’ve been too close to having panic attacks I’m so stressed,” commented a TikTok user called “Canadian Hermit” on the post by This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

“I’m so sorry neighbours,” added another commenter. “We as Americans are hanging on by a thread.”

Enter Sesame Street and its sage advice.

“It’s okay to take a break today — it’s even better if it includes cookies,” Cookie Monster posted on X.