I need you to understand me

It's not that other people don't understand us, it's that there's an empathy deficit occurring.

When we’re in an argument with someone or when we’re just trying to get a point across and it’s not happening, it’s very likely empathy is the remedy. We need to hear in order to be heard.

It’s equally as important to ask ourselves how are we thinking in those moments. For example, I could be thinking “They should/need to listen to me” and if that is the case then that’s a huge sign that I need empathy. I’m in a state of mind where I’m making someone “responsible” for my needs. Personally, I like to take responsibility for meeting my needs. After all, they’re mine.

So we have choices here, we make someone responsible for our needs or we can figure out the many other ways the exist to meet our needs. Maybe, just maybe we can still experience understanding even under challenging situations.

Empathy is not just words, it's the experience we feel.