What is empathy anyway? It is the ability to understand how another person feels.
Think about the time when you were in a fight with someone and you thought to yourself: “I don’t understand why it was such a big deal.
I don’t understand why he got so mad. I didn’t mean it that way and they got so offended. They didn’t take what I said the right way.”
Sound familiar?
Something so insignificant can mean nothing to you but can be such a huge deal to another person.
You can’t ever tell someone how to feel or that their feelings are invalid just because you don’t agree with them. You just can’t.
One thing to remember is that everyone is just trying the best they can to protect themselves.
When you are in a fight, let the emotions drain then dig deeper and communicate.
Empathy doesn’t have to happen in a fight. Your partner might come home drained, upset, and frustrated.
Other times, they will make decisions about groceries, finances, how to fold towels, when to wash dishes, and other decisions and behaviors that will not make sense to you.
Practice empathy and build a connection with them to understand why they do the things they do.
Really listen before responding.