I think trying to steer any community that you have not created yourself is going to be toxic and not fruitful. Even if it's around the work you've done, you have no ownership of an outside group.
If you want to avoid backlash then I suggest you listen closely to your community. If it's a design decision that you think you must make, but you expect backlash then make that design decision as perfect as you can. Give solid reasons for the decision, and show how it fits cleanly in with the rest of your game.
For mental health I'd suggest letting the controversial change simmer, and only then looking into the community discussions when more level-headed discussions are happening.