GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The election is over, and while some are happy and others are disappointed, there’s a chance that someone you care about voted differently than you. Figuring out how to navigate this can be difficult, especially with the holidays approaching.

Telehealth Clinic Manager with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services Jean Holthaus says respecting each other’s opinions and getting curious will help with the dynamic. She says that if you get curious instead of trying to convince them that they are wrong, you can get a better understanding of how they got there.

“Being able to say, ‘You know what, I understand that you’re really passionate about that,’ and then you don’t really have to share that you’re not because it’s probably not going to be helpful,” Holthaus said.

If you want to get your opinion across, Holthaus said it’s important to state it as an opinion and not a fact.

“When we take our opinion and state it as a fact, then other people feel the need to prove our fact wrong, right? But if you can say, ‘I feel’ or ‘I believe and I understand that people believe differently than me,’ then you have more permission to say what you think because you’re entitled to your opinion,” she explained.

As you and your loved ones get together for the upcoming holidays, Holthaus recommends establishing ground rules to limit any heated interactions.

“Like, ‘I really want to be able to enjoy you, and hear about since the last time I’ve seen you’ rather than ‘Let’s talk politics,'” she said. “If you can’t do that, being able to say ‘Thank you for sharing and,’ and then just move back to something a little different. And if it is truly someone who is a negative influence in your world, looking at how much time do I spend with that person. Sometimes we do have to say, ‘You know what? I’m not going to go to that event because it’s just not helpful to me and what I’m going to get out of it isn’t worth what it is going to cost me,” she said.

Since social media can be an easy place where people can get heated about politics, Holthaus recommends only going to social media if it is going to help you. This is one of the things that can help if you are stressed. Another helpful thing can be focusing on what you have control over.

“I think we have to look at right now in this moment, what do you control? And right now in this moment, are you OK and are the people you care about OK? I think that we can get into predicting what might happen as a result of. And maybe those things will happen, but also maybe they won’t,” she said.