I will admit, I seriously debated even having this conversation. The political scene of the past few years makes me very stressed and anxious. But as I’ve learned in my mental health journey in the past, sometimes sitting in the suck and working through something is the best path forward. Penn and I are big believers in therapy in other areas of life for marriage and mental health, so why not have some therapy for political health?
Showing Grace
Today on our podcast, we invited Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, the hosts of Pantsuit Politics to help us learn how to talk about politics. The goal of our conversation wasn’t to talk about any specific political issue, but to learn how to show grace and have conversations with people you don’t align with. Sarah and Beth describe their podcast as a show for “people who hate politics.”
They gave us some specific pointers for having these often uncomfortable discussions with the people in our lives. If you find yourself sitting at the Thanksgiving table in a few weeks with a family member on the opposite side of the political spectrum as you, Sarah and Beth advise us to remember that the point of having a conversation is not to move the needle of their beliefs, but to work on your relationship with that person. If you find the conversation getting out of hand, one question you can ask is, “What are you hoping for in this conversation?”
Learn More
We hope the conversation we had will bring you some relief if you are feeling anxious about politics. I certainly left the conversation feeling better and more hopeful. Listen in at any of the links below to hear our whole discussion.
