<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>"America's Government Teacher" has smart tips for staying calm in turbulent times.</p> <p>After years of serving as a high school government and law teacher, <a href="https://sharonmcmahon.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sharon McMahon</a> took her passion for education to Instagram, where more than a million people (who affectionately call themselves "Governerds") rely on her for non-partisan, fact-based information.</p> <p>Sharon is also the host of the award-winning podcast, <a href="https://sharonmcmahon.com/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here's Where It Gets Interesting</a>, where, each week, she provides entertaining yet factual accounts of America's most fascinating moments and people. In addition, she is the author of <a href="https://thepreamble.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Preamble</a>, a Substack newsletter about politics and history. </p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>How to avoid being 'confidently wrong' </li> <li>How we often get confused between our opinions and our identity—which makes it very hard to change our opinions</li> <li>The importance of having a diverse media diet </li> <li>Tips for consuming the news without driving yourself nuts</li> <li>How to have compassion for people who we completely disagree with</li> <li>How history can be a balm for hopelessness—an antidote for when we're tempted to conclude that things have never been worse</li> <li>How everyday people have way more power than we think</li> <li>And why hope is a choice.</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/dan-harris-election" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eight Things I'm Doing To Stay Sane During Election Season | Dan Harris</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/putnam-romney-garrett-405" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#405. How You Help End Polarization and Inequality – and Get Happier, Too | Robert Putnam & Shaylyn Romney Garrett</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/kaira-jewel-lingo-news" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel Lingo</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's newsletter</strong> <a href="http://www.danharris.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/sharon-mcmahon-847" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/sharon-mcmahon-847</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p> <p>Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: <a href="https://app.tenpercent.com/link/download" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://app.tenpercent.com/link/download</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Choose Hope Actively
Make hope an active choice rather than waiting for it to be a feeling that descends upon you. This mindset is crucial because positive change can only occur from a place of believing it’s possible.
2. Differentiate Opinions from Values
Understand the fundamental difference between your opinions and your core beliefs or values. While opinions can and should change with new information, your underlying values can remain steadfast, preventing a loss of ethical moorings.
3. Hold Views Loosely
Hold your views loosely in your hand, rather than gripping them tightly, and be willing to re-examine them when presented with new and better information. This approach helps you stop being wrong faster and demonstrates intellectual prowess.
4. Prioritize Being Right (Truth)
Honestly ask yourself how much you care about being right, meaning aligned with the truth. If you genuinely prioritize truth, it requires a higher degree of humility to dissect your opinions from your identity, leading to personal growth.
5. Assess Group Membership vs. Truth
Examine if you are willing to give up your membership in any group in pursuit of the truth. Being honest about this question allows you to make clear-eyed decisions and reorient yourself in the world, even if the answer is ’no'.
6. Initiate Change of Heart
Cultivate a change of heart to be part of the solution to polarization, rather than the problem. This means actively choosing not to let differences of opinion lead to contempt for your neighbors and being willing to interact with those who hold opposing views.
7. Practice Generous Interpretation
Reorient your spirit towards viewing situations and facts with the most generous interpretation possible, instead of the least. This discipline helps move away from malice and fosters a more compassionate and understanding worldview.
8. Don’t Cut Off Dissenters
Avoid cutting off people who believe differently from you, unless the relationship is abusive. Historically, great leaders have not taken this tactic, as those ideologically opposed cannot have a change of heart if they are never exposed to different perspectives.
9. Decline Unnecessary Fights
Give yourself time before responding to invitations to conflict and realize that you don’t have to accept every fight. Declining these invitations can significantly contribute to your personal peace and ability to maintain compassion for the world.
Consume a diverse range of media sources, including those that challenge your preconceived notions or present viewpoints you might disagree with. This practice is crucial for intellectual growth and helps you understand how others perceive the world.
11. Read News, Don’t Watch
Prioritize reading the news over watching it for daily consumption. Reading creates a different, often less emotionally intense, mental experience compared to the graphic detail often presented visually.
12. Limit News Obsession
Avoid spending excessive amounts of time obsessing about the news, particularly opinion pieces. This allows you to form your own opinions and prevents mental exhaustion from constant exposure to negativity.
Do not get your news from social media platforms. Social media is inherently clickbaity and can provide a distorted or incomplete view of information, making it an unreliable source for understanding current events.
14. Know Your News Limits
Understand and respect your personal limitations regarding news consumption. It is acceptable to limit your news intake to just enough to be an informed citizen if more extensive consumption negatively impacts your mental health.
15. Do The Next Needed Thing
Focus on consistently doing ’the next needed thing’ rather than waiting for the perfect moment or for yourself to be the perfect person. History shows that ordinary individuals make significant impacts by taking small, necessary actions, offering a powerful antidote to feeling overwhelmed.
16. Study History for Perspective
Learn history to gain perspective on current challenges and counter the recency bias that suggests ’things have never been worse.’ Understanding past struggles and progress can provide a more balanced view and a balm for hopelessness.