How to Handle Different Opinions Mindfully

(floor scratching) (mouse clicking) (gentle music) Headspace Studios. (instrument chiming) (gentle music) Hi there, it's Eve here. Welcome to "Radio Headspace" and to Wednesday. So it's the middle of a busy week. I thought it'd be nice to start with a quick grounding exercise. So often, we're doing multiple things at once. So for the next few moments, see if you can be fully here and present. So keeping your eyes open, notice what you can see around you, what shapes, colors do you notice? (gentle music continues) Then listen to what you can hear. Sounds are all around us. (gentle music continues) And now feel your feet on the ground, your body supported. (gentle music continues) And then take a slower, deeper breath, breathing in through your nose (inhales deeply) and out through your mouth (exhales deeply) and see if you can allow the body to soften and to release any tension you might be holding. Thank you for doing that with me. So we live in a world where there are a lot of different opinions. I mean, you just have to go on social media or watch the news to see quite how many differing opinions there are in the world. And I want to start by saying that it's actually good to have different opinions. It's healthy. But what's not okay is when people try to force their opinions onto you or convince you that you are wrong for what you believe in. I'm pretty sure we've all been in conversations where someone says something that you completely disagree with. Perhaps your chest tightens and then your mind starts racing with counterarguments. I think what's become more challenging in recent years is how to navigate the onslaught of differing opinions, which can often cause a lot of harm and be really divisive, especially if they don't align with our own core values. As human beings, we're all uniquely different, and our beliefs, our values, our opinions are shaped by so many factors, our upbringing, our experiences, and the people we surround ourselves with. So when someone challenges what we believe in, whether that's in person or say through watching the news, it can feel like a personal attack, almost as if they're questioning who we are. It feels deeply personal and a lot of anger can arise. And it's okay to feel angry or to feel defensive, especially if what you are seeing and hearing is causing you and others distress. But feeding into that anger with more anger is not always the most helpful thing to do. What can be helpful in those moments is to pause, to step back, to take a breath, or two or three, and then choose how to respond. When the brain is hijacked by strong emotions like anger, we don't always act in the most skillful of ways, but it doesn't mean we can't respond and stand up for ourselves. But doing so with a little more clarity and...