What You Believe Shapes What You See
Right now, if you are in the United States, you’re likely feeling the heat in the kitchen—not from your oven, but from the world around you. Political tension is high. Emotions are simmering. And if you’re having trouble focusing on your food blog, you’re not alone.
This kind of stress can trigger your nervous system into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. These reactions are fast and automatic. They hijack your thoughts before logic even has a chance to stir. So if you find yourself spiraling, distracted, or emotionally reactive, remember—you are not broken. You are human.
First, Breathe and Return to Your Senses
In moments of tension, before reaching for your camera or your next recipe, pause. Breathe. Feel your feet. Smell something comforting. Taste something real. This simple act of grounding puts you back in your senses. It reminds your brain: you are safe right now. You will not think clearly until you are grounded.
Your Reactions Are Rooted in Repetition or Emotion
That emotional reaction you had? It didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from your belief system. Your beliefs were most commonly formed through either repetition or a moment of strong emotion. That means your responses make perfect sense given your unique experiences.
Have some compassion for yourself. You are reacting exactly how someone with your history of thoughts and feelings would react. Give yourself kindness. When you do, you open space to shift.
You Are Not Unbiased, and Neither is Your Brain
Let’s be honest. None of us are objective. We surround ourselves with people, media, and inputs that reflect what we already believe. We like being validated. It feels safe. And safety is a core human need.
But here’s what you may not have known: Your brain is actually designed to actively filter out unnecessary information. You will only see what you are looking for. Studies suggest that we miss 99.9% of what is around us. That means we are making decisions and judgements based on .1% of the information available to us. That hill you believed you could die on? It may not be so solid after all.
The question then becomes, “How does your brain decide what to look for?” The answer lies in your belief system. Your belief system decides what’s true and important and it’s your brain’s job to seek confirmation for your already-held beliefs. Your brain is always actively scanning for information that supports what you already believe, not what is. You are missing most of what you see.
And so is everybody else.
Seek Additional Information
We often assume our first thought is true. But it’s usually just the most familiar. Your mind filters what you see and hear, giving you an incomplete picture. That means if you want a fuller view, you have to seek it on purpose.
Can you double your input? Can you raise your .1% to .2%? Can you seek different sources? More information? A more complete picture? Can you actively pursue the information that someone with a different belief system would see?
Can you seek to understand without judgement?
Share Compassion
That compassion you gave yourself? Can you give it to others? Everyone is working within a .1% system. Everyone is believing their own stories.
Can you separate the person from their belief system and have compassion for the person?
Intentionally Choose What You Want to Believe
When you seek additional information, share compassion and stop making moral judgments about people with different beliefs, you free yourself. You realize that most of the time, people don’t disagree with you because they’re bad. They disagree because they’ve lived a different story.
You may still believe most of what you used to believe but your perspective has shifted .1%. And that’s enough. That’s when the magic happens. You realize that more than one thing can be true at once. You see things differently. You start working with people, instead of against them. You free yourself and you get to start intentionally choosing what you believe.
Want help applying this to your blog?
Build Your Own Recipe for Belief Awareness
Next time tension rises, remember:
Ground first. Your nervous system needs to feel safe before it can think clearly.
Be compassionate with yourself.
Notice your belief. Ask, "What am I assuming is true right now?"
Seek additional information. Seek out information from trusted but different sources.
Pause moral judgment. Look for shared values instead.
Share compassion.
Choose your new beliefs.
This is how we create clarity. This is how we stay focused in noisy times. And this is how food bloggers like you become more resilient leaders in your space.
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Book your free discovery call now.
FAQ: Mindset and Bias in Blogging
Why am I so emotionally reactive right now?
Your nervous system is doing its job by keeping you safe. Political tension can trigger automatic responses like fight or flight. You’re not alone in this.
What does my belief system have to do with my blog?
Everything. Your beliefs shape your decisions, your content, your interactions. When you understand them, you lead better.
How can I make better decisions when I feel overwhelmed?
Start by grounding in your senses. Then seek new perspectives before reacting. It gives your brain space to reframe the situation.
