STATE OF Washington — Are you experiencing election anxiety? If so, you’re not alone.

Recent polls show that most Americans are coping with election-related stress and anxiety, and things are really heating up in the final stretch of the 2024 campaign.

Some voters have a unique way of dealing with election anxiety.

The stress of the election is so intense that a small church in Wallingford is opening its doors Monday night to give anxious people a sense of calm.

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For 90 minutes, Wallingford United Methodist Church at 2115 N. 42nd Street will open its sanctuary to everyone.

There are candles to light, but other than that it’s just an open space to relieve pressure.

“This is a community resource for people to come and be nourished and comforted the way they are,” said Pat Naumann, a member of United Methodist.

Naumann, who has been a member of the congregation for nearly 50 years, said he was stressed about the election and thought others were in the same situation. He said he would pray, some might meditate, and some might need a safe place to release their emotions.

Pastor Melissa Ramming told KOMO News this makes sense because their church strives to be “accepting, affirming, and welcoming to everyone.”

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Monday night is not about religion, there is no formal program, just a place to relieve stress. Pastor Ramming said he would be available for pastoral care if anyone needed it, but there were no expectations for this evening other than welcome.

KOMO News spoke to voters in nearby Green Lake on Monday. Some said they were concerned about where the country was heading and the political division they felt.

One man said he wasn’t worried about who would be elected and was confident his election would win, but added that he was “tired of elections and political attack ads.”

Another voter, Mary, said she was concerned about women’s reproductive rights and democracy.

“Well, I’m pretty bored with this. So I’m always in front of my computer reading everything I can about both candidates in the polls, and it’s driving me crazy. I can’t wait for it to be over so I can read it.” a book. “So I can concentrate on other things besides the elections.”

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Ramming said Wallingford United Methodist Church has never in its history opened its doors to the community because of an election, let alone because of election concerns.

What they haven’t lost is that the presidential race is tight, which means half the country could theoretically feel like they’ve lost.

“I know that the people who may come tonight, some feel one way, some feel differently, everyone comes with their own hopes and perhaps a prescient sadness about what will happen if things go this way or that way, and that’s a great fulcrum in our national history. That’s really it.” very important,” Naumann said.

The doors of the church open on Monday from 19.00 to 20.15

The American Psychiatric Association poll found that a majority of Americans are anxious about the election. In August, half of them said they followed the elections on a daily basis.