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Flicking on the TV or scrolling through Facebook lately has been giving me an election information-overload headache.

So the Federal election has been called for May 21st...and the electoral campaigns are rolling!

Unfortunately, that also means my social media feeds, every news site and channel are all blasting election information into my brain, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I have been finding myself avoiding thinking about my choices this election too much because the thought of wading through the mire of propaganda, disinformation and digital overload is far too fearsome. I think it has been a timely reminder of how important it is to switch off digitally sometimes without switching off emotionally.

The election is an important time to have a voice on the issues that we want our representatives to focus on. As a strong believer in the importance of democracy, I think everyone should be involved in the process. But as I have been experiencing, it is also critical to prioritise your mental health when it comes to information overload and develop some strategies to navigate your way through election news.

I personally find a good tool to explore your alignment with the major political parties and to explore their policies in a less subjective manner. It is a questionnaire about the matters you are concerned about this election. Importantly, Vote Compass is an aid, not a determination of who you should vote for. It is your right as an individual to vote for whomever you wish and tools like this can sometimes help.