How to Deal with Differences in Beliefs & Opinions

Differing Beliefs

Brandi Schmidt, Licensed Counselor

There’s information coming in from everywhere. It’s hard to turn around without feeling like you have another thing to consider. This kind of information overload is hard enough to handle, but can become even more challenging when we hit roadblocks with our loved ones or others in our lives. Our personal views on the pandemic can cause discord with our friends, family and our own mental health. 

 

How to Help 

Start by listening to each other. 

We may experience anxiety or tension when we don’t feel validated. Try to understand perspectives and be accepting of differences of opinions. Opinions are just opinions. It’s okay to have a different perspective, belief, value, and political view than our partner, friends, and family. We love them and they’re important to us but it has become easy to derail a relationship during the pandemic due to the anger or frustration we may have without feeling validated in our opinion or feelings. Remember, our loved ones are not our enemy. 

 

If you see a loved one with anxiety over a particular situation, ask yourself why you need to hold onto your opinion. It can be hard to set aside pride, but respecting each other by listening to what they say can create a sense of understanding that we’re all in this together. We’re all frustrated and exhausted.

 

Don’t Forget to Take Care of YOU

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Find that sense of balance during your day. Maybe that means doing your make up even if you’re working from home to give yourself a sense of normalcy. Get outside. Practice good sleep hygiene. Take a walk. Do yoga. Start journaling. Whatever is calling to you to help your own mental health, do it. It will help lower the tension overall when faced with tough conversations.

Brandi is available for in-person and virtual appointments. Email her at brandi.schmidt@proximal50.com