I have a hard time seeing others' emotions and thoughts as valid when they differ from my own. How can I do that?

It is really hard to see things from other people's perspectives especially if we have not experienced those emotions, or that intensity of emotion ourselves.Personally I don't think that 'seeing' there emotions as valid is the concern but rather how are behaviour comes across and how we treat them as a consequence.I think it comes down to being respectful of everyone and treating them as unique and valuable even if we cannot understand and relate to their thoughts.

By accepting the fact that not everyone will think like you. That everyone has their own individual opinion that makes these people who they are. If they thought like you, then they'll just be you. And not someone new to experience and share your life with.

Put yourself in their shoes and look at it from their perspective. Take a minute to look at where they are coming from. What experiences do they have, what things are they going through, how is their life different from yours, etc. When you try to see it through their eyes instead of through your own, you can start to see where they are coming from and why they are feeling the way they are feeling. Feelings are very personal, even if you don't understand it, they feel it for a reason. Try to see that reason and be compassionate about it.

I have had that problem for awhile also. I try to "put myself in their shoes" and think how I would respond during a certain scenario. I also periodically check how someone is doing by asking what is on their mind (beware not to do this to often) and check in to make sure I am being a supportive friend. The first step to working on this is knowing that you had a hard time seeing others emotions so good job in taking the first step :)

Having empathy in this regard is important, being able to put yourself in someone's shoes and understand (but perhaps not agree) with their viewpoint is a skill that will get you far in life. Sometimes admitting that we are wrong can be a difficult thing to do, but it also presents growth and a passion for knowledge.

Most people would say to put yourself in another person's view, but sometimes, it's not that easy. Perhaps being open to new ideas and such would help, but then it all comes down to how do we do that? From our personal experiences and society's influence, it is common for every to have different thoughts, and it's even harder to understand other when it involves something personal. Therefore, the first step is not to understand another person's emotions and thoughts. The first step is always to understand your own emotions and thoughts first. Be able to understand yourself better by listing ideas and thoughts of why you believe so. Second, based on what you have thought, think of how others might think of yours idea. What if they never experienced what you did, what would they think? What are certain flaws in your thoughts (could be none)? This step may be hard since it's hard to identify our own flaws, but it is crucial because it is the second step in order to understand why others may disagree. Third, when considering others opinion, remember to keep an open mind. Think of how you would respond in their place. Think of how you might feel the same way in another situation and etc. I hope this helped :)

I understand where you're coming from on this. While we have empathy and can relate to one another on a basic level, it is more difficult to empathize with and validate emotions that don't match up with our own experiences because we don't know what that experience is like for that person, and how those events caused the different emotions and thoughts that person is experiencing. It's important to remember that everyone has different experiences that they are drawing from. For example, my sister was afraid of ocean waves for a really long time, and I never understood why. I thought that maybe she was overreacting, or maybe that she wasn't really afraid of waves but she just didn't want to get wet at the beach. I didn't know how to validate her experience of fear because it differed from my own. I later learned that when my sister was very young, she was in a boat that capsized because of a large wave, and she was almost killed. I never knew what it was like to experience that, but her fear was a lot more understandable, and I could empathize a lot more with her and validate that fear that she was experiencing. What I didn't understand at that time was that even though I didn't know why she was experiencing that fear, and even though I was not experiencing that fear, that fear was still valid. Even though I still don't know what it's like to be afraid of water, I know what it is like to be afraid. In this way, we can empathize and validate any emotion. We may not understand where these emotions come from, or why they contradict or differ from our own emotions, but we can understand that everyone has different experiences, and we can remember that what they are feeling is real, even if we don't know what that experience is like for them.

Empathizing with another person helps with this. Place yourself in their shoes and ask how a certain situation would play out and how you may feel about it.

Its natural to sometimes feel distant from emotions when you don't fully understand and grasp the nature of other persons emotion. What you can do is empathize with them and try to learn more and you will be able to connect more.

The best thing to do is remember that you're not the only person in the world. All people are vulnerable, just like you. By disrespecting them, you may end up hurting them. People are all connected, so if you hurt someone else it might end badly later. Sometimes other people's opinions disrespect us. In this case, you are free to walk away and say nothing to them.