This Is What’s Causing Wyomingites To Freak Out

It's an election year. All you see is candidates bashing each other, pointing fingers, calling each other names, and acting like they're siblings in a "stop hitting yourself" fight.

The crazy part is that it doesn't matter who you will vote for; the other side is doing the same thing.

I don't like talking politics; that adds to the mayhem, and there is enough hot air floating around.

The stress of an election year is enough to drive someone crazy.

My grandmother is 84 years old, and if she gets talking about who she will be voting for and why the other person is a lunatic, I feel like she's about to have a stroke. Her face gets red, and her voice rises to a high screech. When you try calming her down, she'll change the subject for a minute, then return to the previous conversation.

Remember that, most likely, a few days after November 5th, everything you've been stressing about will likely be in the rearview mirror, and you'll realize you stressed for no reason.

If you or someone you know experiences extreme stress thanks to politics and all of the political talk, here are some tips to relieve election-year stress.

• Focus on what you CAN control, not what you can't.
• Separate people from their views, and remember that your relationship is built on things other than politics and political beliefs.
• Before launching your blood pressure through the roof, will arguing with that person change their mind?
• If you want to keep cool, limit how much political talk, TV, or social media time you expose yourself to.
• Stay educated. You can't believe everything you hear, read, or see. Researching those things to see what the truth is.
• Treat others the way you want to be treated. Don't get into an argument if you're not looking to get into one. Steer clear of those argument-triggering subjects.
• Continue learning. When you stay curious, you're less likely to get as stressed if you're up-to-date on the issues.

If all of that fails, just breathe.