It is not uncommon to disagree with another person’s views. Be it politics, religion, or something as silly as whether you should be using paper or plastic at the supermarket, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone.
However, it is very important to practice empathy, if you want to foster lasting relationships with those around you.
So what exactly is empathy? Not to be confused with sympathy, which is the ability to feel sorrow for someone else’s misfortune, empathy is being able to connect with and understand the feelings of another.
In a nutshell, it is putting yourself in another person’s shoes and not freaking out about it.
Whether with your friends, family members, kids, neighbors, or your colleagues, empathy is very important when it comes to building lasting relationships with others.
The most important person you should be empathizing with is, of course, your partner. If you can’t connect with the most important person in your life, then who can you connect with?
Here are 5 glaring reasons why empathy is very important in a relationship, and why you should be practicing this virtue:
1. Bridge the divide
Fights often break out between couples because they cannot seem to see eye to eye on certain issues. Whether it is something major like deciding whether to have kids or something minor like figuring out what to eat for dinner, put yourself in your partner’s shoes so that bridging the divide and getting past differences is not impossible.
2. Give each other attention
When you learn to empathize with your lover, you will be able to shower him or her with the right amount of attention and love. When you put yourself in your partner’s shoes, you will know whether you are smothering them with too much affection or if you are not setting enough time aside for them. Whether you are with a high powered career woman or with a stay-at-home dad, empathy will give you an inkling into their lives and what they expect from you.
3. Bring out the positive
When you can empathize with your spouse, you will bring out the positivity not just in you, but in your partner. Understanding your loved one’s behavior and how they approach life’s challenges will give you full access into their world. This will undoubtedly bring positive change for both parties.
4. Compassion is practiced
Seeing the world through someone else’s eyes will undoubtedly give you the wonderful ability to be a more compassionate person. When you can connect with your partner and see for yourself what they have to go through on a daily basis, you will understand just why they are the way they are. This, in turn, will give you insight into how to make their world a better place and yours along with it.
5. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes
Empathy is all about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Whether it is donning your wife’s stiletto pumps and envisioning yourself at yet another one of her high pressured meetings, or putting on your husband’s muddy work boots for another tiring day at the quarry, you will be able to shed light on why they behave the way they do if you understand what they have to go through.
If your husband is a real grouch or if your girlfriend whines about work every time she has the chance to, it is because they want you to understand what they are experiencing. Instead of letting everything in one ear and out the other, visualize yourself in their shoes and act accordingly.
