Games for Coping with Election Anxiety

Play these games and you, too, will achieve 100% chill.

This presidential election is slowly ruining my life. My outlook is gloomier, my temper is shorter, and I generally feel like the world is going to hell in a handbasket all the time. And I'm not the only one—several news outlets have reported that election anxiety is a serious phenomenon this time around, to the point where people are seeing therapists in an attempt to cope with the strain. 

But have no fear, board game players—our game collections offer us many avenues for retreat! Here are some board games that will no doubt help you to feel calmer and more at peace in these troubled times. 

Pandemic
In this game, the world really is about to end. Deadly diseases are ravaging the entire planet. Can you and your band of germ fighters turn the tide and save humanity? I mean, yeah... sometimes... But in the meantime, you've let millions of people die while you jet around the world, hoping  that another outbreak doesn't hit Ho Chi Minh City while you're dealing with the one in San Francisco. If you are playing Pandemic Legacy, your defeat may have even more permanent consequences.

Legendary: Alien Encounters
Don't you love the idea of a relaxing evening at home, playing Legendary: Alien Encounters? This not-at-all tense game will certainly lower your blood pressure as you battle face huggers that will become deadly chest bursters if you don't manage to fight them off before your next turn. If you'd like to feel even more chilled out on game night, you could pair this with Xenoshyft: Onslaught. 

Ghost Stories
It's Halloween season, which makes Ghost Stories a great choice for your election detox gaming session. Make some tea, light some candles, and enjoy the meditative experience of battling an endless stream of ghosts until you are inevitably defeated. At least a face-off with Wu-Feng is far less intimidating than the prospect of living through another presidential debate. 

Eldritch Horror
Any Cthulhu game will do, really. Why worry about Syria, the economy, the prospect of nuclear war, or equal rights when you can instead succumb to madness and despair? In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming... but when he wakes up, we're all doomed anyway. Nothing like a game of Eldritch Horror that ends in abject defeat to remind you of your place in a vast, merciless universe. This entire presidential election thing will be of no consequence whatsoever when all of humanity is unceremoniously devoured.

As November 8 nears, don't forget to take a deep breath, let go of your stress, and kick back with some low key board games. You'll feel better in no time! 

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