Disclaimer: I’m not perfect at doing this by any means. But this is what I’m trying to do in order to love others better, and have less stress in my life. Here are four steps to surviving election season without “unfriending” someone when you see him post an opinion that you disagree with on Facebook:

1) Recognize something you have in common with this person: you are both passionate about causes you believe in. If you weren’t passionate about such-and-such, you probably wouldn’t be feeling the need to unfriend him!

2) Acknowledge the sense of nobility in what he is are doing – advocating on behalf of others. Even if you don’t see it this way, in his mind, he is standing up for someone else by posting about this cause or candidate. Maybe he is standing up for women, homosexuals, the poor, the planet, unborn babies, God, Syrians, etc. Maybe you don’t care about this group/person/thing, or maybe you do, and you just don’t it believe is the most relevant group to this issue. But realize that this person is trying to stand up for a group/person/thing that he cares about, and that is generally a good thing to do.

3) Seek to better understand his point of view by recognizing the fundamental disagreement that lies beneath the issue you disagree on. If you can’t figure this out, do some research or ask someone that shares his point of view why he feels this way. Most likely, his reasons aren’t just the opposite of your reasons. Try to get to the root of the issue.

4) Remember that loving others is a choice, not just a feeling. We can choose to love other people and to treat them kindly, even if when don’t agree with their opinions.

You might also enjoy reading How You Can Like Facebook Again.