2008 Election: A Psychological Survival Guide

Are you obsessed with the 2008 election? Maybe you've always been a political junkie. Maybe you've never followed a presidential race this closely before. Whatever your past political interests, whatever your current affiliations, the 2008 election season may have you more than a little frazzled. Here's how to make it all the way to November with your sanity intact.

2008 Election Survival Tip #1: Limit TV viewing and Internet use.

It might give you a certain satisfaction to know that you were watching or reading the very moment a story about one of the candidates broke on cable news or a political blog. It might interest your coworkers the next morning (or provoke a heated argument-see #3 below). But is it something you're going to share with your grandchildren? You'll probably forget the "moment" when the 2008 election season is (thankfully) over.

With so many of us wrapped up in the 2008 election season, it feels like a shared national experience. It's great to be inspired by our favorite candidate's latest speech. And of course, it's important to stay informed about the issues of the 2008 election season. But what does "informed" mean?

If you've settled on a 2008 election candidate and understand his or her platform, do you really need to hear the other candidates' every word, gesture, and facial expression being analyzed repeatedly by bloggers or the talking heads on cable news? Do you need the spike in blood pressure that happens every time you come across a comment which you feel is unfair, poorly argued, or just plain foolish? I think you know what to do....

2008 Election Survival Tip #2: Get at least some of your information from printed sources.

Am I suggesting that you pretend this isn't election season? Certainly not. The 2008 election is exciting, historic, and too important to miss.