Providing People With Validation Of Their Feelings

 

Every human interaction involves an exchange of information wrapped up in emotions.

Think about the last time you talked to someone about an unpleasant event you’ve gone through.

You presented various details (information) about the event, but you also conveyed a certain emotional vibe.

The emotional experience helps the other person understand how you interpret a particular event.

Given that every situation, event, or circumstance triggers an emotional vibe, depending on who experiences it, understanding and validating someone’s feelings is a fundamental aspect of human interactions.

But the question is, how do we validate someone’s feelings?

What is Emotional Validation?

In essence, to validate means to confirm, to say that something exists and that its form is good and acceptable as it is.

To validate someone’s feelings means recognizing the emotions that another person experiences and accepting their legitimacy in various situations.

Emotional validation plays a crucial role in childhood as it allows you to develop your personality by confirming and strengthening your self-confidence.

Furthermore, emotional validation creates a safe space in which, as a child, you feel comfortable enough to express your emotions.

Having someone (mother, father, sibling) there who can listen and empathize with your joys, sorrows, and dilemmas contributes significantly to your journey towards a happy and fulfilling adult life.

During adulthood, emotional validation is a practice that builds connection and clarifies the emotional vibe of a particular situation or event.

Receiving emotional validation allows you to better understand the experiences that life throws down your path and helps you adapt more appropriately to them.

Why Should I Validate Someone’s Feelings?

Emotions represent the foundation of human interactions.

We use them to communicate needs, set boundaries, signal injustice, and forge meaningful relationships.

Without emotions, our day-to-day interactions would be nothing more than a cold exchange of information.

But to establish a meaningful interaction based on more than just words, one must know how to ‘give’ and ‘receive’ emotions.

To receive means to keep an open mind and be willing to understand (emotionally) what the other person is trying to communicate.

To give means to actively contribute to the conversation by expressing feelings, sharing emotional needs, and having the courage to be vulnerable at times.

How Often Do You Validate Your Feelings?

As you can probably imagine, validating someone’s feelings requires some degree of self-awareness and introspection.

In other words, you need to be in tune with your inner self before you become attuned to people’s feelings.

Many of those who fail to validate others’ feelings are relatively out of tune with their emotional universe.

It’s not that they refuse to create connections based on feelings; it’s just that they don’t know how to do it.

In my opinion, the first step is getting to know yourself on a deeper level.

This will prompt you to develop self-awareness and forge solid emotional bonds with the people around you (especially those you love and care about).