How To Improve Your Relationships Through Emotional Validation
Emotional validation is an important social skill that anyone can learn. Help yourself and others to feel more respected and accepted. You can practice with your loved ones and with people you barely know.
Basics of Validation
1. Define validation. Validation refers to acknowledging someone’s feelings. That’s distinct from saying you agree with them or condoning their behavior. You can talk with your child about how feeling afraid led them to hide their failing grades without suggesting that was the right thing to do.
2. Offer validation to yourself. Learn to validate yourself as well as others. Similar techniques work in both cases. Recognizing your true feelings is the first step in being able to manage them constructively.
3. Monitor your nonverbal expressions. Body language is part of the process. If you feel patient and attentive, you’re likely to look relaxed and welcoming. On the other hand, rolling your eyes at a person can feel just as dismissive as any verbal ridicule.
4. Take advantage of daily opportunities. It’s easier to master a skill when you use it frequently. Every social interaction can be a training opportunity, whether you’re talking with your mother or the cashier at your grocery store.
